Figueres on the Need for a Binding Global Climate Treaty by 2015

Christiana Figueres, the Executive Secretary of the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is a stalwart champion of efforts to reign-in climate change causing greenhouse gases (GHGs). She has repeatedly made bold statements about the need to act now. “We’re running out of time…we have to get to zero net emissions by the second half of this century, and in order to put us on a path to do that we have to reverse the trajectory of GHG emissions that we have now,” Figueres said.

Video - COP 19 Sustainable Business

Sustainable business was an important part of COP 19 last December in Warsaw. In this video Peter Bakker talks about Action 2020 which highlights a series of nine principles designed to provide a sustainable focus for business.

COP 19 Summary: The Good the Bad and the Ugly

After a 24 hour extension of COP 19 the Warsaw climate summit concluded on Saturday evening with a deal to help vulnerable countries cope with the impacts of more frequent and intense extreme weather events and a compromise agreement setting out a roadmap towards a global treaty in 2015 in Paris. However, the language in the final agreement from COP 19 was weak, some countries have backpedaled and there are ongoing disagreements between rich and poor nations.

The Good

We have seen some progress on a number of fronts and Ministers said that there had been "essential progress" and they indicated that "key objectives" had been met. Here is a summary of the progress:

Showcasing Progress: Momentum for Change Lighthouse Activities

The UNFCCC secretariat showcased some positive actions in the areas of innovative finance, women and the urban poor. The Momentum for Change Lighthouse Activities were showcased at the Conference of the Parties and the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol.

Momentum for Change provides a public platform to highlight broad-ranging climate change actions that are already achieving tangible results on the ground. By shining light on inspiring and transformational mitigation and adaptation activities, Momentum for Change aims to strengthen motivation, spur innovation and catalyse further change towards a low-emission, high resilient future.

Video - COP 19 Strategies: Walkouts, Sanctions and Eco-Socialism

Professor Patrick Bond considers the best strategies to make progress on the climate crisis at COP 19. He questions the utility of developing countries, civil society and 132 green groups walking out of the COP process to protest inaction on climate finance, Loss and Damage and the Green Climate Fund. He argues that sanctions may be a better strategy ("hitting polluters in the wallet"). He also questions whether capitalism is the best economic system to manage the climate crisis. In Warsaw the techniques of capitalism were reviewed and some questioned whether this system is capable of meeting the challenges we face. Bond argues that an eco-socialist approach may be required.

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Walkouts and Hunger Strikes Draw Attention to Inaction at COP 19
COP 19: Nothing But Bad News at the End of Week One
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COP 19: Progress Needed on the Green Climate Fund
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Video - Walkouts Over Inaction on Climate Finance, Green Climate Fund and Loss and Damage

In addition to mitigation and adaptation we need to see a mechanism on Loss and Damage to compensate poor countries who are already suffering from climate change. Developing countries who are the largest contributors to climate change refuse to accept their responsibilities. Australia, Canada and the US refused to accept a new mechanism to manage Damage and Loss. This prompted the G77, a coalition of developing action, to walkout of COP 19 along with green groups and civil society. UN, U.N., United Nations, Conference of the Parties, negotiations, action, climate change, global warming, global, international, agreement, UNFCCC

Video - COP 19: Wealthy Nations Refuse to Help the Developing World Manage Climate Change

Negotiators at COP 19, the United Nations Convention on climate change in Warsaw Poland, have failed to make progress on finance and funding to help the developing world to manage climate change.

Business Needs to do More to Reduce Emissions - Godot Paralysis

In 2013, Christiana Figueres, the executive secretary of the UN framework convention said that Businesses are not doing enough to reduce their emissions and they cannot wait for policy perfection (Godot Paralysis). We have no other option but to move forward, we need to show courage. We need to invest in green technologies which could provide growth and jobs. We need moral courage, it is not just about governments taking the lead. We must stand up and assume our responsibilities. The consequences of continuing to burn fossil fuels are known, everyone who does not address this is abdicating their responsibilities to a much more stable productive future.

Shameful Nations at COP 19: Poland, Japan, Australia and Canada

Poland, Japan, Australia, and Canada are disgracing themselves COP 19 through their resistance to reduce emissions, and their lack of support for climate finance.

Host country Poland staged an international coal conference alongside the UN climate negotiations. This has prompted many to call COP 19 “the coal COP” and it earned Poland a “fossil of the day award.”

Canada announced that it will be unable to meet its CO2 emissions reduction goals. (In 2011, Canada, along with Russia and Japan announced their withdrawal from the Kyoto protocol).

COP 19: Nothing But Bad News at the End of Week One

As the first week comes to a close there was no good news out of the UN sponsored COP 19 process taking place in Warsaw. No progress on carbon mitigation and no progress on finance. Japan announced it was going to increase its emissions and wealthy countries ignored the issue of climate finance and assistance for countries affected by climate change. There was no movement on efforts to put markets to work and the only small consolation was in the area of technology transfer, although there were no agreements. Here is a succinct review of COP 19 as of the end of Week one

Due to Japan's decision to put an end to nuclear power following the Fukushima disaster, the country's emissions cuts have been substantially reduced. Japan's new 2020 target represent an increase of 3 percent in emissions vs. 1990, (however they were positioned as a decrease of 3.8% vs. 2005 emissions). In real terms this means the nation's CO2 emissions reduction target has been reduced from 25 percent to 3.8 percent.

Walkouts and Hunger Strikes Draw Attention to Inaction at COP 19

This year's climate negotiations in Warsaw are being defined by what is not getting done as to opposed what is being achieved. Many are despondent over the lack of progress while others are apoplectic. While some have decided to launch hunger strikes in protest others simply walked out.

First the Philippine's climate delegate Yeb Saño announced that he had embarked on a hunger strike to protest inaction at COP 19 then others at the conference joined him. Now more than one thousand people around the world have formally declared that they are also fasting for climate justice.

One of the hunger strikers, Wael Hmaidan, international director of the Climate Action Network has not eaten in 10 days. “It is not hard at all to fast completely, when you are driven by passion for a cause,” Hmaidan said. Click here to see his 52-page list of demands [PDF]. As Hmaidan wrote, “there is no political will" at COP 19.

COP 19: Progress Needed on the Green Climate Fund

Climate delegates representing poor and developing countries are asking wealthier nations to honor their commitments and support climate finance and the Green Climate Fund in particular. They require financial help to deal with extreme weather events alongside assistance to reduce their carbon emissions. Given the fact that the developed world is largely responsible for current levels of atmospheric carbon, it stands to reason that they should be ready to aid the developing world to manage the climate crisis.

Business is Being Prominently Highlighted at COP 19

COP 19 is focusing unprecedented attention on the business community. This is not merely a cosmetic attempt to be more inclusive, this is a common sense approach that acknowledges the critical importance of the business community. The business community can be both a tremendous ally and a powerful source of opposition. Getting them onside, or in some cases out of the way, is critical to meaningful climate action.

The role of business in managing the climate crisis cannot be overstated. UNFCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres has made it emphatically clear that the business community has a critical role to play. The recent Warsaw Business Day, Sustainable Innovation Forum and Caring for Climate events all highlight the role of business alongside the COP process.

World Climate Summit - Warsaw Business Day at COP 19: WBCSD and World Climate Forum for Business

On the 17th and 18th of November, 2013, a first time event took place that was the largest collaborative platform for businesses to discuss action on climate solutions. These event brought together business, global institutions and government leaders to discuss solutions, actions and policies to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

The event was focused on solutions and policies to avert the impacts of global warming. It was supported by a global coalition of the world's most influential corporations, institutions and media organizations. The forum focused on business solutions, and addressed climate finance and other cooperative actions.

Cities Day: High Level Segment of COP19/CMP9

November 21 is “Cities Day."  The day will bundle a number of events by a variety of partners, including a historical COP Presidency Cities and Subnational Dialogue that will be conducted as a Ministerial-Mayoral Dialogue.

The Ministerial-Mayoral Dialogues will be kicking-off a process in Warsaw to be concluded in Paris 2015 can be considered as the direct and immediate immediate implementation of the Nantes Declaration of Mayors and Subnational Leaders on Climate Change adopted in September 2013, in particular its para.8 and 10.

A broad compilation of all events related to local and subnational governments at COP19/CMP9, including “Warsaw Dialogue on Scaling Up Local and Subnational Action” hosted by City of Warsaw and Polish Ministry of Environment on 20 November.

Sustainable Innovation Forum 2013: Business Event Alongside COP 19

Sustainable Innovation Forum 2013 is a premier business and government event and it will take place on November 20. This is the largest and most influential conference alongside the official COP19 process. The event will bringing together leaders from business, government and international NGOs to provide insight and share best practice on a range of discussion areas including low carbon infrastructures, clean technology innovation, the green economy and sustainable urban development. This event will be hosted by Climate Action in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Caring for Climate Forum: Highlighting the Role of Business

In cooperation with the COP19/CMP9 taking place in Warsaw, a Forum will be held that emphasizes the role of businesses in helping to address the issue of climate change.

Launched by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2007, “Caring for Climate” is the UN Global Compact, the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) initiative aimed at advancing the role of business in addressing climate change. It provides a framework for business leaders to advance practical solutions and help shape public policy as well as public attitudes. Chief executive officers who support the statement are prepared to set goals, develop and expand strategies and practices, and to publicly disclose emissions as part of their existing disclosure commitment within the UN Global Compact framework, that is, the Communication on Progress. Caring for Climate is endorsed by over 350 companies from 50 countries.

Send a Message to Climate Negotators at COP 19/CMP 9: Typhoon Haiyan is a Wake-Up Call

Bill McKibben and the 350.org team have put together a petition urging climate negotiators to act at this year's Conference of the Parties (COP 19). They are asking that negotiators secure a deal to reduce emissions and increase climate finance for the developing world.


A succession of less than stellar outcomes at the annual UN sponsored climate negotiations have fostered understandable pessimism. However we need to understand that this process offers the best chance we have of securing a globally binding climate treaty.

Excerpts from Opening Speeches at COP 19/CMP 9

The UN Climate Change Conference known as COP 19/CMP 9, started in Warsaw with calls to "harness the strong groundswell of action on climate change across all levels of government, business and society and make real progress here towards a successful, global climate change agreement in 2015." The conference began on November 11 and runs until November 20.

The newly elected President of the Conference of the Parties (COP 19/CMP 9), Mr. Marcin Korolec, Poland’s Environment Minister, said in his opening address that climate change is a global problem that must be turned further into a global opportunity.

Russia, Ukraine and Belarus Derail 2013 UN Climate Talks in Bonn

The United Nation's (UN) climate talks in Bonn, Germany have collapsed despite the fact that we have marched past the symbolic milestone of 400 ppm of atmospheric CO2. Russia, Ukraine and Belarus have rejected a compromise and effectively stalled discussions on climate compensation, adaptation and finance until the main summit in Warsaw in November.

The problems originated last year in Doha when Russia, Ukraine and Belarus expressed concern over the extension of the Kytoto Protoco, which is currently the world's only obligatory climate agreement. (Although the US and Canada are not signed on).