Sample Materials for CSAT Paper -1 (G.S.) Pre 2013: "Environment and Ecology: Bali Action Plan (BAP)"

Subject: Environment and Ecology
Topic: Bali Action Plan (BAP)

After the 2007 United Nations Climate Change Conference on the island Bali in Indonesia in December, 2007 the participating nations adopted the Bali Road Map as a two-year process to finalizing a binding agreement in 2009 in Copenhagen. The conference encompassed meetings of several bodies, including the 13th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 13) and the 3rd Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (MOP 3 or CMP 3).

The Bali Road Map includes the Bali Action Plan (BAP) that was adopted by Decision 1/CP.13 of the COP-13. It also includes the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP) negotiations and their 2009 deadline, the launch of the Adaptation Fund, the scope and content of the Article 9 review of the Kyoto Protocol, as well as decisions on technology transfer and on reducing emissions from deforestation.

Bali Action Plan

Pillars

The Conference of Parties decided to launch a comprehensive process to enable the implementation of the Convention through long-term cooperative action, now, up to and beyond 2012, by a ddressing: (the called pillars or building blocks)

• A shared vision for long-term cooperative action, including a long-term global goal for emission reductions.
• Enhanced national/international action on mitigation of climate change.
• Enhanced action on adaptation.
• Enhanced action on technology development and transfer to support action on mitigation and adaptation.
• Enhanced action on the provision of financial resources and investment to support action on mitigation and adaptation and technology cooperation.

Cutting Emissions

The nations acknowledge that evidence for global warming is unequivocal, and that humans must reduce emissions to reduce the risks of “severe climate change impacts” and emphasized the urgency to address climate change. There was a strong consensus for updated changes for both developed and developing countries. Although there were not specific numbers agreed upon in order to cut emissions, the Decision recognized that there was a need for “deep cuts in global emissions” (plural countries proposed 100% reduction in 2050) and that “developed country emissions must fall 10-40% by 2020”.

Mitigation

• Enhanced action on mitigation of climate change includes, inter alia:
• Nationally appropriate mitigation commitments or actions by all developed countries.
• Nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMAs) by developing countries.
• Cooperative sectorial approaches and sector-specific actions (CSAs).
• Ways to strengthen the catalytic role of the convention.

Forests

The nations pledge “policy approaches and positive incentives” on issues relating to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) in developing countries; and enhancement offorest carbon stock in developing countries This paragraph is referred to as “REDD-plus”.

Adaptation

The nations opt for enhanced co-operation to “support urgent implementation” of measures to protect poorer countries against climate change, including NAPAs. impacts.

Technology

In technology development and transfer, the nations will consider how to facilitate the transfer of clean and renewable energy technologies from industrialised nations to the developing countries. This includes, inter alia:

• Removal of obstacles to, an provision of financial and other incentives for, scaling up the development and transfer of technology to developing country Parties in order to promote access to affordable environmentally sound technologies (renewable energies, electric vehicles).
• Ways to accelerate the deployment, diffussion and transfer of such technologies.
• Cooperation on research and development of current, new and innovative technology, including win-win solutions.
• The effectiveness of mechanism and tools for technology cooperation in specific sectors.

Finance

Provision of financial resources and investment includes:

• Improved access to predictable and sustainable financial resources and the provision of new and additional resources, including official and conces-sional funding for developing country Parties (dcP).
• Positive incentives for dcP for national mitigation strategies and adaptation action.
• Innovative means of funding for dcP that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change in meeting the costs of adaptation.
• Incentivisation of adaptation actions on the basis of sustainable development policies.
• Mobilization of funding and investment, including facilitation of climate-friendly investment choices.
• Financial and technical support for capacity-building in the assessment of costs of adaptation in developing countries, to aid in determining their financial needs.

Ad Hoc Working Groups

The Conference decided establish a subsidiary bodies under the Convention to conduct the process, the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA) and the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP), that were to complete their work in 2009 and present the outcome to the COP15/MOP 5. The Group must develop its working programme in its first session in a coherent and integrated manner.

The AWG-LCA and AWG-KP presented draft conclusions to COP15 and CMP5, which contained many unresolved issues. These working groups are now due to report to COP16 and CMP6 in Mexico.

Timescales

Four major UNFCCC meetings to implement the Bali Road Map were planned for 2008, with the first to be held in either March or April and the second in June, with the third in either August or September followed by a major meeting in Poznan, Poland in December 2008. The negotiations process was scheduled to conclude at the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Durban CONFERENCE

THE 2011 UNITED NATIONS CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE was held in Durban, South Africa, from 28 November to 11 December 2011 to establish a new treaty to limit carbon emissions. The conference agreed to a legally binding deal comprising all countries, which will be prepared by 2015, and to take effect in 2020. There was also progress regarding the creation of a Green Climate Fund (GCF) for which a management framework was adopted. The fund is to distribute US$100 billion per year to help poor countries adapt to climate impacts. While the president of the conference, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, declared it a success, scientists and environmental groups warned that the deal was not sufficient to avoid global warming beyond 2 °C as more urgent action is needed.

Background

The conference was officially referred to as the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 7th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties (CMP 7) to the Kyoto Protocol. In addition, the two permanent subsidiary bodies of the UNFCCC – the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) – were likely to hold their 35th sessions. The 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference extended the mandates of the two temporary subsidiary bodies – the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP) and the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention (AWG-LCA) – so they were expected to meet as well.

A primary focus of the conference was to secure a global climate agreement as the Kyoto Protocol’s first commitment period (2008–2012) was about to end. It was also expected to focus on “finalising at least some of the Cancun Agreements”, reached at the 2010 Conference, such as “co-operation onclean technology”, as well as “forest protection, adaptation to climate impacts, and finance – the promised transfer of funds from rich countries to poor in order to help them protect forests, adapt to climate impacts, and ”green” their economies”.

A month before the Conference began, the BBC highlighted two contentious proposals which had been submitted – one by Russia, the other by Papua New Guinea, both aiming to amend the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Russia’s proposal would bring about a “periodic review” whereby countries currently categorised as “poor” could be recategorised as “rich”, and thus obliged to shoulder greater obligations in the combat against climate change. BBC Environ-ment correspondent Richard Black commented that the proposal would be “provocative and explosive, if Russia pushes it”, because potentially affected countries, such as China and Brazil, would “push back very strongly”. Papua New Guinea’s proposal, submitted by Ambassador Kevin Conrad with the support ofMexico, would introduce a “last resort” mechanism to break any deadlocks in climate change negotiations through a three-quarters majority vote, thus clarifying the decision-making process under the Conven-tion. Describing the proposal as “intriguing”, Black noted that although it would theoretically enable developing countries to use their numerical superiority to adopt any kind of world-wide binding obligation, in practical terms they would still need the approval of rich countries to secure funding.

IPCC

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned in November 2011 that extreme weather will strike as climate change takes hold. Heavier rainfall, storms and droughts can cost billions and destroy lives. Estimates suggest that every dollar invested in adaptation to climate change could save $60 in damages.

India

India’s representative at the conference, Jayanthi Natarajan stated that India “will never be intimidated by any threat or pressure”. Natarajan responded to European Union Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard, saying that: We have shown more flexibility than virtually any other country. But equity is the centrepiece, it cannot be shifted. This is not about India. Does fighting climate change mean we have to give up on equity? We have agreed to protocol and legal instrument. What’s the problem in having one more option? India will never be intimidated by any threat or any kind of pressure. What’s this legal instrument? How do I give a blank cheque? We’re talking of livelihoods and sustainability here. I’m not accusing anybody, but there are efforts to shift the (climate) problem to countries that have not contributed to it. If that is done, we’re willing to reopen the entire Durban Package. We did not issue a threat. But are we being made into a scapegoat? Please don’t hold us hostage.

Answer of Question 1: D