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UNFCCC COP13 & COP/MOP3 side event
Reconciling Asian Developmental Priorities and Global Climate Interests in Climate Regime Beyond 2012
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This event presented the outcomes of the third round of IGES multi-stakeholder consultations on the post-2012 climate change regime held in China and India. Presentations and panel discussions focused on ways to reconcile Asian developmental priorities with global climate interests in the post-2012 regime.
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7 December 2007 (Fri.) 13:00-15:00 |
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Hydro Room, Grand Hyatt Hotel, Bali |
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Prof. Hironori Hamanaka, Chair of the Board of Directors, IGES |
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Summary
Hironori Hamanaka, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), explained that IGES has been carrying out stakeholder consultations since 2005 with a view to promote constructive thinking in the Asia Pacific region on future actions against climate change beyond 2012, and to contribute to the shaping of a regime that adequately reflects concerns and developmental aspirations of the Asia-Pacific region.
Ancha Srinivasan, IGES, summarised key findings from the past two years of consultations, demonstrating how these findings led to this year's focus on reconciling Asian priorities and global interests. He noted that the future regime should treat mitigation, adaptation, technology, and financing with a more balanced approach, as developing Asia prefers a whole package of measures rather than only mitigation targets. He suggested that research on future implications of various post-2012 regime proposals on developing Asia is urgently needed. He then discussed the four themes featured in this year's consultations: enhancing sectoral approaches; facilitating technology cooperation; raising the profile of adaptation; and integrating co-benefits into the post-2012 architecture. He concluded by relating the four themes to several recommendations for moving forward. Recommendations included, inter alia, clarifying the elements for successful implementation of sectoral approaches; strengthening the sub-national implementation of technology agreements; expanding funding for adaptation based on the "polluter pays" and "climate change winners pay" principles; and standardising and simplifying methods to assess and reward developmental co-benefits of climate actions in the post-2012 regime.
John Drexhage, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), noted that the world has changed dramatically since the adoption of the 1997 Kyoto agreement, due in large part to rapidly increasing GHG emissions from developing Asia. He then observed that while the Kyoto protocol has played a constructive role since 1997 (for instance, helping to set a price on carbon where none existed previously), issues outside the Kyoto targets and timetables will merit attention in the future. These include innovative financing and concentrating on the local dynamics of adaptation; implementing initiatives to boost investments in clean energy technologies (such as the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate); and broadening the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to provide high developmental dividends. He underscored that financing and investment is the most critical component of the future climate regime in order to get large emitting developing countries on board.
Rajendra Pauchari, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), The Energy Resource Institute (TERI), highlighted key findings from the IPCC fourth assessment report (AR4). He suggested that the AR4 makes it clear that the Kyoto Protocol has made a difference, and will provide an institutional foundation for post-2012 agreements. He also noted that the AR4 warns about abrupt irreversible changes such as melting of glaciers that may cause sea levels rises that would be particularly destabilising to Asia's mega-deltas, Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and least developed countries (LDCs). Though the AR4 advances our understanding of these impacts, more needs to be done assessing them in Asia - a role that is particularly well suited for Japan. As for GHG mitigation in Asia, he observed major challenges will include shifting from centralised power plants to more decentralised distribution systems; increasing the availability and use of public transport; and incorporating energy efficiency into building design and construction. If such low-carbon transitions are carried out effectively, they might offer a developmental model to other regions including Africa and Latin America.
Akio Morishima, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), provided a historical overview of energy efficiency in Japan, and noted that Japan is still a world leader in industrial energy efficiency. He nonetheless suggested that increases in commercial, household, and transport-related GHG emissions have made it difficult for Japan to reach its targets under the Kyoto Protocol. He concluded that Japan would make further efforts to achieve the goals identified in the "Cool Earth 50" initiative, and that Japan would actively contribute to the strengthening of human and institutional capacities in order to address climate change in Asia.
Masnellyarti Hilman, Ministry of Environment, Indonesia, described Indonesia's efforts to mitigate GHG emissions through reducing deforestation, and stressed the need to compensate avoided deforestation. She argued that it was misleading to conclude that Indonesia ranked high in GHG emissions based on consideration of emissions from forest fires for just one year. She noted that Indonesia is already suffering from adverse impacts (flooding, landslides, and wind storms) of climate change and pointed to the consequent need for assistance with adaptation. She concluded by emphasising the importance of strengthening Indonesia's capacity to implement CDM projects.
Toshiro Kojima, Ministry of the Environment, Japan, summarised the key messages from the 15th Environment Congress for Asia and the Pacific (Eco-Asia) held in September 2007. He reported that participants positively supported the "Cool Earth 50" initiative which aims at halving global GHG emissions by 2050, and that they agreed on the importance of establishing a low carbon society in the region. He noted that participants recognised the importance of the co-benefits approach and the need for broadening the efforts on adaptation.
Participants discussed "green jobs"; energy security and its link to climate change mitigation; the need for bottom-up approaches and strengthening scientific capacities to assess impacts of climate change especially at local and national levels; and regional cooperation in addressing trans-boundary issues.
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Chair: Prof. Hironori Hamanaka, Chair of the Board of Directors, IGES |
| 13:00 - 13:05 |
Opening Remarks |
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- Prof. Hironori Hamanaka, IGES |
| 13:05 - 13:25 |
IGES Consultations on Post-2012 Regime: A Few Pointers to Reconcile Asian Priorities and Global Interests |
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- Dr. Ancha Srinivasan, IGES |
| 13:25 - 13:40 |
Ideas for Reconciliation: A Personal Perspective from Canada |
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- Mr. John Drexhage, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), Canada |
| 13:40 - 14:00 |
Ideas for Reconciliation: A Personal Perspective from India |
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- Dr. R K Pachauri, IPCC and TERI, India |
| 14:00 - 14:30 |
Panel Discussion on Key Actions for Reconciling Asian Priorities and Global Interests |
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Panel Members:
- Ms. Masnellyarti Hilman, Ministry of the Environment, Indonesia
- Dr. R K Pachauri, IPCC and TERI, India
- Prof. Akio Morishima, Japan Climate Policy Center, Japan
- Mr. John Drexhage, IISD, Canada
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| 14:30 - 14:45 |
Question and Answer Session |
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| 14:45 - 14:55 |
Message from the ECO ASIA Summit |
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- Mr. Toshiro Kojima, Vice-Minister, Ministry of the Environment, Japan |
| 14:55 - 15:00 |
Closing remarks: |
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- Prof. Hironori Hamanaka, IGES |
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Contact
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