The Daily Tck

Race to the Future: www.tcktcktck.org

8 April 2011

Summary of the Current status/situation

What was the most frequently used word in the negotiations this week? Yes, agenda… For the most part of this week
countries have been discussing the agenda for areas to focus on this year. Last night, our colleagues at CAN even
floated some advice provided by lawyers supporting NGOs remotely, detailing what the words “agenda” and
“workplan” really mean in legal terms in the context of these negotiations. Having that information was certainly
useful, and providing negotiators at loggerheads with an NGO compromise agenda also helped, but despite everyone’s
best efforts the important questions remained unanswered: Should the agenda only include what we agreed to do under
the Cancun Agreements? Or should it also include priorities we agreed to within the Bali Action Plan? Or maybe both?

Yes, by now you are familiar with these questions, simply because negotiators failed to answer them for several days,
preventing us from turning our attention to other questions, for example about the “how” and “when” that you’d cover
in a detailed workplan that would help make an agenda actionable for negotiators. Last night was a long one for
negotiators, as they sat in closed rooms until around midnight to sort the things out that we wanted them to sort out on
Tuesday. When they finished, we heard that they might be close to an agreement. They met again this morning amidst
rumour about an agreement, but then the morning passed and lunch time came and there was still no compromise. It
took as long as 7pm until a new compromise agenda was leaked, and a bit after 8pm it was finally agreed in plenary.

One might wonder why countries have spent days discussing the agenda. Well, the reason is that many countries want
to address and deliver on more this year than the plans that were agreed to in Cancun, while others prefer to only focus
on operationalizing the plans from Cancun. Most countries agree that Cancun delivered a way forward, some positive
momentum and concrete plans. However, they also agree that it didn’t deliver enough to save the planet, even if every
institution and every framework would be operationalized and implemented swiftly. A good approach would aim to
operationalize what was agreed in Cancun while addressing key issues from the Bali Action Plan that can’t be missing
in the mix if our overall goal is still a fair, ambitious and binding treaty. The agreed agenda caters for that.

On the Kyoto Protocol track, countries have begun discussing concrete steps that are pointing in the right direction.
They began exchanging information on what they need from each other in order to deliver stronger targets and in order
to commit to a second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol. Currently, developing countries insist on the
second commitment period, while most of the developed countries are reluctant or opposed. Hopefully these Bangkok
talks have been a starting point for a series of conversations that will inspire both sides enough to make the necessary
moves in Durban.

What is happening?
When we arrived at the UNFCCC venue on the last day of the inter-sessional and the Thai head of the UN security crew
said – with a big smile – “Hello Sir, ice cream, good idea”, we got a sense that the week was somewhat short of other
highlights. And while it’s nice to know that we might have contributed to one of the biggest, we would have preferred
the negotiators to create the highlights at this meeting. This desire for progress towards a safe climate future was also
the theme of a prayer this morning at UNESCAP, when several dozen Buddhist monks, Hindu Brahman Priests, Sikh
leaders, meditators and lay people of many religions and spiritual orientations gathered. They conducted a ceremony to
express support for those who have suffered and died from flooding in the South of Thailand and other climate related
disasters around the world, and to offer their prayers and aspirations for the governments negotiating inside to take
quick action to ensure a safe future. The ceremony was joined by UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres
who tearfully expressed thanks for their presence and acknowledgement of their requests, accepting a copy of the
Interfaith Declaration on Climate Change that she indicated would be hung in her office. More information can be
found at: www.interfaithdeclaration.org

Yesterday afternoon, our AFAB friends from Oxfam, Greenpeace and WWF in South East Asia wrapped up their
ASEAN campaign for this inter-sessional with a press conference targeting regional media. The idea was to push
ASEAN further into a leadership role in the talks as the agenda still needed to be agreed and as many long-term
challenges are lying ahead. Calling on ASEAN to become a change factory rather than sticking to its old talkshop
image, AFAB experts called out the laggards slowing down the bloc’s progress on climate action, while pointing out the
leadership potential of Indonesia and other countries in the region. Scanning the media this morning showed that they
were very successful and got a lot of coverage across the region, likely shaping their profile further and growing their
weight.

And last but not least, negotiator tracker Leela Raina gave a great civil society intervention on behalf of the youth in
today’s KP plenary session: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0Tht1r9PdQ

Message for the day

Considering how urgently we have to tackle climate change, civil society rightly insists on bigger and faster progress
than observed here in Bangkok. However, it’s also important to understand that the agenda debate is a proxy for a
number of very serious decisions at the heart of these negotiations, rather than just a formality. As we need a binding
solution and safe levels of ambition, it’s important that negotiators have these discussions.
At the end of the day, however, they have to overcome the bickering and tackle the challenges we are facing out there in
the real world. If they want to help ensure the safe climate future people all over the world demand and work towards,
they have to turn their fiercely debated agenda into a rigid work plan with clear deliverables and timelines for the year
ahead, aimed at implementing the Cancun Agreements while effectively dealing with the important questions Cancun
didn’t answer.

If Bangkok has highlighted one thing, then it’s the fact that we need to sort out the debate about the future of the Kyoto
Protocol this year. Targets and actions presented by developed and developing countries were encouraging, but
generally we are far from what the world really needs to tackle climate change. We can only be sure that the necessary
actions are taken if we make them binding and raise the ambition. Ironically, countries with the weakest targets are the
loudest advocates for voluntary rather than binding approaches.

What you can do today?

Keep your fingers crossed that negotiators find their rhythm by June when they meet again in Bonn. And have a good
weekend!

Other materials:
AFP: Rich, poor nations feud at UN climate talks
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jvlBt4uqs8J7XIWlQ0SMwDMAhxHQ?
docId=CNG.a69c44ddc050305a4a499e8381d032f1.561

Reuters AlertNet: ASEAN lacks unified voice, NGOs say

http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/asia-climate-change-conference-lacks-unified-voice-ngos-say

AP: Japan disaster complicates moves to clean energy

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110407/ap_on_re_as/as_nuclear_climate_change_3;_ylt=AvEB5JWHC6FAx3W9_LJenj
jHSpZ4

XINHUA: ASEAN should have stronger, more collective voice on climate change: NGO
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/xinhua/2011-04-07/content_2231542.html

AFP: Man of all faiths fights for the climate

http://news.malaysia.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4764043