Impact of Climate Change on Arab Countries - (IPCC) - Working ...

ARAB ENVIRONMENT: CLIMATE CHANGE 139
Sector-based approaches can avoid competitiveness
concerns by negotiating emissions targets for
particular industries, including those located in
developing countries - but like the other
approaches <strong>of</strong>fer only a partial solution.
Emissions-based approaches <strong>of</strong>fer countries the
flexibility to design emission reduction strategies
that are most appropriate to their national circumstances.
Smaller agreements <strong>of</strong>fer the potential <strong>of</strong>
early action-not waiting until 2012 for effective
responses to begin, but starting on whatever is feasible
now. If successful, these partial agreements
could also be included at a later date under an
umbrella <strong>of</strong> a climate change agreement.
X. BALI ROAD MAP
In Bali, Indonesia, in December 2007, the
Conference <strong>of</strong> the Parties to the Convention on
<strong>Climate</strong> <strong>Change</strong> (COP 13) concluded with
agreement on the ‘Bali Action Plan.’ The plan
creates a process and a set <strong>of</strong> principles, with few
specifics, for negotiating a post-2012 agreement.
It calls for a long-term goal for global emissions
reductions and various mitigation actions for
developed and developing countries. Besides
mitigation, it also includes adaptation, deforestation,
technology development and transfer, and
finance.
Mitigation
In the Bali Action Plan, the Conference <strong>of</strong> the
Parties (COP) recognized that ‘deep cuts in global
emissions will be required to achieve the ultimate
objective <strong>of</strong> the Convention’ and emphasized
the urgency <strong>of</strong> action, ‘as indicated in the
Fourth Assessment Report <strong>of</strong> the
Intergovernmental Panel on <strong>Climate</strong> <strong>Change</strong>.’
The COP did not move forward on targets and
timetables for emission reductions, but decided
to seek agreement by 2009 on ‘a shared vision for
long-term cooperative action, including a longterm
goal for emission reductions’ to prevent
dangerous anthropogenic interference with the
climate system.
Decision 1(b)(i) calls on all developed countries
to consider:
Measurable, reportable and verifiable nationally
appropriate mitigation commitments or actions,
including quantified emission limitation and
reduction objectives, while ensuring the comparability
<strong>of</strong> efforts among them, taking into
account differences in their national circumstances.
For developing countries, Decision 1(b)(ii) calls
for the consideration <strong>of</strong>:
Nationally appropriate mitigation actions in the
context <strong>of</strong> sustainable development, supported
and enabled by technology, financing and capacity-building,
in a measurable, reportable and verifiable
manner.
Unlike for developed countries, there is no mention
<strong>of</strong> quantified emission limitation or reduction
objectives for developing countries.
Adaptation
Decision 1(c) <strong>of</strong> the Bali Action Plan calls for
enhanced action on adaptation, including consideration
<strong>of</strong>:
(i)
TABLE 1
Approaches
Country-based
Sector-based
Policy-based
Measures-based
PROPOSALS FOR PARTIAL SOLUTIONS
Examples
Agreements between the top-emitting countries
in the world, or alternatively, smaller geographic groups
Agreements on emissions reductions in specific
categories – e.g., power, transportation, aluminium,
steel, cement, appliances, buildings, forestry
Agreements to impose harmonized carbon taxes or
reduce emissions intensity
Agreements on specific emissions reductions strategies
– e.g., energy efficiency, renewable energy,
development finance, land use regulation
International cooperation to support
implementation <strong>of</strong> adaptation actions
including through vulnerability assessments,
prioritization <strong>of</strong> action, financial
needs assessment, capacity-building and
response strategies, integration <strong>of</strong> adaptation
actions into sectoral and national
planning, specific projects and programmes,
means to incentivize the implementation
<strong>of</strong> adaptation actions, and
other ways to enable climate-resilient
development and reduce vulnerability <strong>of</strong>
all PartiesÖ;