18 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY NOVEMBER 21-27, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com Temperature Rising As climate talks in Azerbaijan wrap up, some leaders ask for fundamental reforms to the process. By Bob Berwyn FORUM Calls to reform the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations are growing louder. Former high-level UNFCCC officials, leading scientists and other climate experts published a letter saying the annual talks “cannot deliver the change at exponential speed and scale, which is essential to ensure a safe climate landing for humanity.” The Nov. 15 missive was addressed to UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell. “We need a shift from negotiation to implementation,” they wrote, “enabling the COP to deliver on agreed commitments and ensure the urgent energy transition and phase-out of fossil energy.” While the letter acknowledged there has been progress, it noted that it has not been fast enough to avoid increasingly severe climate impacts. Without the voluntary national emission reduction plans submitted under the Paris Agreement, warming had been projected to reach as high as 10 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100, but the latest projections under current policies are now for about 5 to 6 degrees for the average global temperature increase by the end of this century. And the COP process has unlocked billions of dollars for climate finance, including money to compensate developing countries for the losses and damages they are suffering from global warming. The message to the UNFCCC came near the end of the first week of COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, set to conclude on Nov. 22. Even though the UNFCCC process established a policy framework for climate action, the authors of the new letter said the COPs need a “fundamental overhaul.” Number one on the list of suggested improvements is changing the selection process for host countries to exclude those that do not support the phaseout and transition away from fossil energy sources. Future host countries must show “a high level of ambition to uphold the goals of the Paris Agreement,” they wrote. The voluntary framework of the Paris Agreement is not working because countries are not being held to account to ensure that their national climate plans align with the latest scientific evidence, the letter-writers contend. It’s not the first time there have been efforts to reform the COPs, says Joanna Depledge of the Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance at Cambridge University. She says the consensus approach has become so entrenched that even countries that previously have expressed an interest in supermajority voting would now be scared off, “not wanting to rock the boat.” “Everybody’s worried about being on the receiving end of that voting rule,” she adds. “The forces that were against a voting rule to start off with are still very much against it.” Those forces, she adds, include obstructionist countries like Saudi Arabia but also the U.S., which has long declined to submit to most international governance. Bob Berwyn is an Austria-based reporter who covers climate science and policy. This story first appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. OPINION “We need a shift from negotiation to implementation.” DONATE NOW montereycountygives.com/chs Donate to Community Human Services HELP END HOMELESSNESS • OUTREACH • SHELTER • HOUSING 232 MONTEREY STREET, SUITE 200 SALINAS, CALIFORNIA 93901 About Hosted in communities around the world, annually (the Saturday before each US Thanksgiving). Supportive space for those impacted by Suicide Loss to: Connect with one another Honor the memory of loved ones lost to suicide Learn and heal through shared experience Event Includes: Screening of AFSP Loss Survivors Documentary Discussion & reflection Healing & Remembrance Art & Activities Local resources English/Spanish interpretation Refreshments provided Everyone is welcome! Please encourage anyone who has been impacted by suicide loss or cares deeply about their community to register and participate. HOPE AND HEALING AT UNITED WAY NOV. 23, 2024 | 10:30 AM - 1:00 PM Register More Information: carly@appliedcrisistraining.com
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