Talks

Madrid, 13 Dec (TWN) – The climate talks under the UNFCCC are scheduled to end today, 13 Dec. However, judging from how far apart Parties still are on some of the major issues as of 12 Dec, many delegates and observers alike, expect a long drawn out night, that could spill over to Saturday, 14 Dec, before the talks come ... Read More »

By Emilio Godoy MADRID, Dec 9 2019 (IPS) – As the COP25 deliberations enter the decisive final week, representatives of environmental and social organisations gathered in a parallel summit are pressing the governments to adopt stronger commitments in the face of a worsening climate emergency. Read More »

Developing countries under the Group of 77 and China made a formal submission for a proposed decision on the ‘Review of the Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM) for Loss and Damage and the report of the WIM Executive Committee (ExCom) on 7 Dec 2019, at the UNFCCC COP25 in Madrid, Spain. Read More »

Leader of Bangladesh delegation, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin will speak for the country during the minister-level high level segment scheduled to kick off on Tuesday at COP25 – this year’s edition of the UN’s annual conference on climate change. The 2-day high level segment from December 10-11 will be attended by ministers from 200 countries, ... Read More »

Madrid, 6 Dec (Evelyn Teh) – Developing countries, led by the Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDC), called for a mandate at the UNFCCC COP 25 for a two-year work programme on closing the pre-2020 implementation gaps under the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol. Read More »

Madrid, 5 Dec (TWN) — Discussions on the membership of the Adaptation Fund Board continued to be contentious at the ongoing climate talks in Madrid, with developing countries calling for a procedural discussion on the matter, and developed countries calling for changing the composition of the AF Board through a substantive decision. Read More »

by Sally Jewell WASHINGTON, DC – When world leaders gather at the 25th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Madrid from December 2-13, they will discuss concrete steps for meeting and increasing national emissions-reduction targets. But equally important, COP25 offers an opportunity to elevate one of the most powerful tools we have to address climate change: nature. Read More »

Madrid, Spain – December 02, 2019 – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday urged the international community to initiate discussions on the creation of an appropriate framework to address the needs of the people who got displaced due to climate change. Read More »

Dhaka, Dec 1 – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday morning left Dhaka for Madrid, Spain, to attend the 25th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP25). Read More »

Dhaka, Nov 26 – Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on climate advocacy networks on Tuesday sought an effective role of the government in the upcoming the United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP) scheduled to be held in Madrid of Spain in December. Read More »

By Christiana Figueres Brussels – In early 2015, the European Union became the first major economy to set a post-2020 target for limiting greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions. By committing to reducing emissions to at least 40% below 1990 levels by 2030, the EU initiated a global movement that culminated in the adoption of the Paris climate agreement later that year. This ... Read More »

By Bertrand Badré Washington, DC – In 2015, the international community launched a renewed effort to tackle collective global challenges under the auspices of the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda and the Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21). But after an initial flurry of interest, the progress that has been made toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and tackling climate ... Read More »

By Mark Paul and Connor Rupp Sarasota – US President Donald Trump’s anti-climate agenda is in full swing. His administration has already taken action 117 times to repeal or weaken climate regulations, and much more deregulation is in the works. By unraveling environmental protections on an unprecedented scale, including through executive orders, Trump is using every tool at his disposal ... Read More »

Bonn, 26 June (TWN) – Disagreements between developed and developing countries arose over the need to review the progress on achievements under the UNFCCC, at the Bonn climate talks. The talks which began on 17 June, are scheduled to end on 27 June. Developing countries, led by the G77 and China wanted a review of the overall progress and implementation ... Read More »

24 June, Bonn (TWN) — Discussions over the composition of the Adaptation Fund (AF) Board and eligibility of Parties to the Board have become contentious at the ongoing climate talks in Bonn, Germany. This was due to the proposals by developed countries, including the United States (US), to change the composition of the AF Board. Developing countries were united that ... Read More »

Bonn, 21 June (TWN) — Agendas of the next UNFCCC session, frequency of forthcoming meetings of the Conference of the Parties (COPs) and participation of non-Party stakeholders in the process have proved contentious in discussions under the agenda item on ‘Arrangements for Intergovernmental Meetings (AIM)’ under the UNFCCC’s Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI). These issues were discussed in informal consultations ... Read More »

Bonn, 17 June, 2019 (Meena Raman) – As students, youth and environmental activists around the world staged recent protests and continue to do so demanding for urgent and greater climate action on the part of governments in combatting climate change, Parties under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol (KP) and the Paris Agreement (PA) ... Read More »

The increasing number of natural disasters and dangers linked to climate change, highlighted in a major UN report released on Thursday, represents “another strong wake-up call” to the world, which must be countered by finding sustainable solutions quickly, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said. Speaking at the launch of the State of the Global Climate report by the World Meteorological ... Read More »

Kicking off COP, the WBG announced a major new set of climate targets for 2021-2025, more than doubling current 5-year investments to around $200 billion in support for countries to take ambitious climate action. It was warmly received during the session, with a spontaneous round of applause, and was referenced multiple times in plenary speeches and side events as a ... Read More »

It’s crunch time in Katowice, on what it supposed to be the last day of COP24, but the talks are heading for an all-nighter. This is not unusual for climate conferences to run late—in fact, they all do. But it is always a question of how much. Read More »

It is close to curtain call for the United Nations’ Climate Conference in Katowice, Poland, with ministers from around the world negotiating the text for a “rulebook” to implement the historic 2015 Paris Agreement for climate action. Amidst the various issues being debated, one of the most technical and complicated is Article 6 of the agreement, which focuses on the ... Read More »

Poland, Dec 14 (AP/UNB) — Agreement on the fine print of the Paris climate accord drew closer Thursday, three years after countries sealed the landmark deal on curbing global warming, but negotiators remained divided on some of the thorniest issues and appeared set for overtime. Read More »

Katowice, 13 Dec (Prerna Bomzan) – The gap in ambition for emissions reductions of developed countries in the pre-2020 period must not be passed on to developing countries in the post-2020 timeframe of the Paris Agreement (PA) and must be the responsibility of developed countries. Read More »

A high-level meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (CoP24) on global warming will be held in Poland on Monday. Read More »

Implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change is in limbo as developed countries remain noncommittal to financial obligations at the ongoing negotiations in Katowice, Poland. Read More »

Katowice, 7 Dec (Prerna Bomzan and Meena Raman)- At a stocktake plenary held on 6 Dec, the Co-chairs of the UNFCCC’s Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement (APA), informed Parties the time had come for the Chairs to produce their “own proposals,” to help the process forward and that based on “where possible landing zones are emerging or ... Read More »

Katowice, 6 Dec (Evelyn Teh)- The technical part of the stocktake on the pre-2020 implementation and ambition kicked off on 5 Dec. at the ongoing climate talks under the UNFCCC in Katowice, Poland. Read More »

An African delegation is in the Polish city of Katowice to join 30,000 delegates and thousands others from almost 200 countries attending the 4th edition of what has come to be known as annual climate change negotiation conferences organised under the auspices of the United Nations. Read More »

Most people will experience climate change in the form of water – higher frequency and intensity of floods and droughts, an increase in waterborne diseases, and overloaded sewage systems that are unable to cope with new demands. Read More »

Taking bold climate action now could help save a million lives and a lot of money by the middle of the century, said the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday, launching a special report as part of the ongoing COP24 climate conference in Katowice, Poland. Read More »