International Climate Policy – Brief Overview

1. International Climate Policy – Brief Overview • Mitigation • Pollution Markets & Trading • Offsets • Adaptation • Technology Transfer • REDD/LULUCF • Important Delegations • Constituencies

2. Mitigation • Reducing emissions of greenhouse gas pollution • Targets • IPCC says: 25-40% reductions from 1990 emissions levels by 2020 and 80% 2050 • Gives us 24%-76% chance of not crossing 2 degrees Celsius of average worldwide warming. ~450 ppm carbon dioxide concentration • G8 pledged not to cross 2 degrees • Youth and many others want no more than 1.5 degrees C = ~350 ppm. 2 degrees = no survival for low-lying islands • Youth say: Annex I bears extra responsibility– 45% (from 1990) by 2020 & 95% 2050 • Reality: Actual targets proposed – aggregate 10-24% by 2020 (as of November 2009, includes U.S. legislation) • Too many Annex I not making binding and quantified commitments – waiting for U.S. commitment once domestic legislation resolved

3. Pollution Markets & Trading • Expected to a way to meet international mitigation requirements • Many already in existence – European Trading Scheme, regional trading pacts in U.S.A., Chicago Climate Exchange • Allowances or limits to pollute are given • Groups (people, companies, countries) exceeding limits either buy allowances from others or pay a big fine • Groups below the limit can sell remaining allowances to others • Reduces cost of pollution reduction – whoever can do it cheapest does it most • Problem – Could be manipulated like anything traded on a market • Secondary markets, derivatives trading could appear • Just like financial crisis – prices could be distorted and groups getting credit for trading allowances that don’t represent real mitigation in the world

4. Offsets • Meeting mitigation targets without reducing your own emissions • Absorbing GHGs through land use changes (e.g. reforestation) • Paying someone else to reduce their pollution (clean energy generation abroad) • Either can happen somewhere else in your country or another country • Seen in voluntary carbon offsets purchased by companies or people, & mandated ones through domestic or international law • Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) – Way for Annex I to get mitigation credit by reducing pollution abroad instead of doing it at home • Problems (some are issues for non-offset projects, too) • Moral? Shouldn’t countries cut their own pollution? Does it matter as long as we stop climate change? Why not do it as cheaply as possible (money is a resource, too)? • Must be measurable reportable, and verifiable (MRV) or else how do you know they’re really happening? • Additionality – Would the project have happened even if you hadn’t paid for it? • Leakage – Does stopping emissions in one place just move them somewhere else? • Power – Who is in charge of the project? Who decides on what projects? Government, international organization (e.g. World Bank), local community leaders, everyone in the community? Is there corruption? • What about non-climate impacts? Environmental impacts (nuclear in the CDM?), community impacts? Should these matter?

5. Adaptation • Reducing the harmful effects of existing or expected climate impacts • Moving communities, building sea walls, planting trees to reduce flooding, irrigating to combat drought • Issues: • Prioritzation – Where should we spend our money? • In our own country • To most affected countries worldwide? • Are some places too far gone to be worth rescuing? • Rights and Community Focus (or not) – See offsets issues • Transperency and Participation – See offsets issues • Ecosystem Effects – When does saving people kill other life? • Financing • Need: $400 Billion? • Actual: <$10 Billion • Sources – Funds/Direct contributions, levies on carbon markets

6. Technology Transfer • The sharing of mitigation and adaptation technologies from countries to other countries • Technology = knowledge and funds to build the technology • Actual transfer of physical capital is uncommon • Usually Annex I to non-Annex I • Collaboration vs. Distribution – Are you giving technology away or partnering on specific technology projects? • Intellection Property Rights (IPR) – Patents – Companies/Government don’t want to give proprietary technology without compensation • Billions of $ in expired clean technology patents already available • Key is getting them into the right hands and ensuring they are in fact expired • Financing – Who will pay for technology transfer – same issues as for adaptation • Joint Implementatin – JI – Projects completed between industrialized countries to earn mitigation credits for the sponsoring country – usually Annex I supporting Eastern European projects • Equity – Who controls which projects are selected and how they’re implemented? See offsets issues

7. REDD+/LULUCF • Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation in developing countries (REDD), and conservation, sustainable forest management, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks (+) • Land Use, Land Use Change, and Forestry (LULUCF) • Cheaper way to mitigate, plus deforestation is major pollution source (~20% of worldwide emissions) • Equality/Who’s In Charge/Who Owns What – See Offsets Issues • What’s the goal – Just cutting carbon? Protecting/enhancing biodiversity & avoiding deforestation? Improving forest community livelihoods? • What counts? Intact, natural forests? (Monoculture) Tree Plantations (lower biodiveristy, community resources, and carbon storage)? Harvested wood products (NO biodiversity or community resources, less carbon storage)? • Are we’re sure we’re mitigating as much as we’re giving credit for? - See offsets issues • Who will pay for it?

8. Important Delegations • Alliance Of Small Island States/Least Developed Countries/Africa Union • Survival at Stake, Pushing Annex I on Targets, Allied with Youth • AU walked out of Barcelona negotiations temporarily • EU • Target Leadership (still weak overall compared to science), Political Will compared to other Annex I • 20% below 1990 by 2020, 30% if rest of Annex I commit. • Scotland – 40% by 2020 • Japan – Financing Architecture, strengthened target this year (still behind science) • Indonesia & Brazil – Pledging to halt deforestation as carbon cut – not binding commitment but significant becuase they’re not required to do anything under Kyoto • Brazil pledged 36%-39% cut by 2020 from business as usual • South Korea – 30% by 2020 from business as usual – not required to do anything • Australia/Canada – Weak Targets • U.S.A. - Key to other Annex I commitments and Non-Annex I agreement, waiting for legislation to pass Senate, plus have to ratify a new treaty (tough....) • Doesn’t want extention of Kyoto because doesn’t think U.S. will ever ratify. Wants new agreement

9. Constituencies • BINGO – Business and Industry • Youth don’t work with much • Both fossil fuels and clean tech companies • ENGO – Environmental and Development • Organized under Climate Action Network – International (CAN-I) • Work with youth often • TUNGO – Trade Unions – Not much interaction • RINGO – Research and Independent – Not much interaction • LGMA – Local Government – Not much interaction • IPO – Indigenous Peoples - Allies • Farmers – New – Don’t know how we will interact • Women and Gender – New – Will be good allies • YOUNGO – Youth – New – Formally called International Youth Delegation - IYD