Today in Durban: Kyoto focus on second commitment period

Dispatches From Durban - Day 4

Delegates continued their meetings in plenary sessions of the COP on Wednesday on a wide range of agenda items under the Ad hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex 1 Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP), and the Ad hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention (AWG-LCA). Discussions were also had in contact groups and a number of informal consultations, one convened by the COP 17 presidency on “cross-cutting issues.” 

The key discussion on Kyoto was around the second commitment period and if it should be extended for 5 years or 8 years. Both time periods have a number of supporters and some parties, such as Canada, the US, Japan and Russia, don’t believe there should be a second commitment period at all if it doesn’t include the worlds largest emitters, China and India. As you might expect, consensus is a long way off on this

One of the hot topics this COP is the Green Climate Fund agreed to last year in Cancun. Some of today’s discussion involved working on a mandate for a legal instrument for the green fund. One of the main priorities for developing countries involves discussions surrounding the adaptation committee. The EU has taken the position that it wants to adopt a second commitment period under Kyoto, agreed to by emerging countries and the US, with the intention of having a legally binding global agreement in place by 2020 at the latest. The different subject areas are now being split into different working groups.

Aside from the official negotiations, the International Civil Aviation Organisation announced that it plans to create a global carbon market for the airline industry next year. This is due to the EU’s mandatory inclusion of foreign airlines in its cap and trade program, the EU ETS, starting next year. The shipping industry is currently discussing similar, coordinated global action to avoid the EU tariff. Progress from the private sector!

More links:

• Some photos
• Some more bad press for Canada 

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