national climate change awareness-raising workshop - UNDPCC.org

Overview of the Bali Roadmap
Presentation by Maria Netto, UNDP
At the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali in December 2007, governments agreed to step up
their efforts to combat climate change and adopted the “Bali Road Map”, which consists of a number of
forward-looking decisions that are essential to reaching a secure climate future. The Bali Road Map takes a
“two-track” approach. One track includes the Bali Action Plan, which charts the course for a new negotiating
process under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC or “the
Convention”), with the aim of completing this by 2009. It focuses on four “building blocks”: adaptation,
mitigation, technology transfer and deployment, financing. The second track includes the current negotiations
under the Kyoto Protocol, and their 2009 deadline, which focus on further quantified emission reduction
commitments for industrialized countries (except for the U.S., which did not ratify the Protocol and currently
has no legally binding target). The future relationship between these two tracks (i.e., will they remain separate
or will the discussions be brought together) is another question being considered in the negotiations.
Mitigation
Presentation by Massamba Thioye, consultant for UNDP, Senegal
Mitigation—the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions or enhancement of carbon “sinks”—is the most
controversial issue under the Bali Action Plan. Human activity is contributing to climate change and all
countries must reduce emissions to avoid the worst predicted damages: developed countries by 0 to -25%
(smaller) to -25 to -40% (larger) in 2020 and developing countries "substantially" from baseline. Significant
technological progress has been made, but annual investments of $200-210 billion are needed by 2030. In
addition, forests and land use will be a big part of the solution. The Bali Action Plan calls on developing
countries to identify mitigation actions that are: “measurable, reportable and verifiable” (MRV). The
discussion on mitigation can be particularly difficult, since its outcome differs depending on which
greenhouse gases are to be reduced, from which sources, by when and by how much (national vs. per capita
emissions). A number of proposals are currently on the table, such as the “evolution of Clean Development
Mechanism” (i.e. move to a sectoral approach) to “sustainable development policies & measures” (SD-
PAMs). Developing country ministers will need to carefully consider which option(s) they can support.
Plenary discussion on mitigation
In the plenary discussion, participants noted that Namibia had different priorities than the larger developing
countries and would therefore need a better understanding of the positions of countries with circumstances
similar its own. Participants also raised questions on the types of compliance systems that would accompany
the proposed mitigation options for developing countries, noting that these systems are often complex and
burdensome. On mitigation action for Namibia, a number of participants highlighted the need for structural
reform. For example, the selling of electricity includes a mark-up to cover other costs, such as salaries and
local community cost. Therefore, there is resistance to reducing usage. Others highlighted the need for a
national body to discuss the problem and develop an integrated national approach.
Working Group discussions on mitigation
What nationally appropriate mitigation actions, in the context of sustainable development, would have most support in Namibia
Participants suggested a number of possible actions, including:
• Promoting energy efficiency in all sectors of energy production. This requires assessing the entire
chain of energy production. Structural reform and financial incentives for change are also needed.
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