Multi-stakeholder Engagement in Climate Change

Multi-stakeholder Engagement inClimate ChangeMarta Szigeti Bonifertexecutive director

Regional Environmental Center (REC)• “… is an internationalorganisation with a mission toassist in solving environmentalproblems (…)”• The REC is legally based on acharter signed by thegovernments of 29 countries andthe EC• Multi-stakeholder InternationalBoard• 190 staff (some 30 nationalities)• 100% project based organization(over 300 running projects)• 10 – 12 million Euro annualturnover• Offices in 17 countries• Population served ~ 200 million

Beneficiaries• EU member states• Bulgaria, CzechRepublic, Estonia,Hungary, Latvia,Lithuania, Poland,Romania, Slovakia andSlovenia• South Eastern Europe• EU candidatescountries – Croatia andformer YugoslavRepublic of Macedonia• potential EUcandidates- Albania,Bosnia andHerzegovina,Montenegro, Serbia• Turkey• Operation beyond theREC Country OfficeNetwork• EECCA, Asia, Africa,Latin-America

Priority Areas• Adaptation (Mitigation)• Capacity Building• Science / Communication• Article 6• Energy• Low carbon development• Local/regional governments

Our contribution to Copenhagen…

What happened at COP 15?• No consensus was achieved• Toward the end of COP 15 talks were going intwo separate process:• negotiations among 192 parties to UNFCCCcontinued• select group of 25 world leaders negotiated (behindclose doors) resulting in the Copenhagen Accord

COPENHAGEN ACCORD (1)• Not official outcome of COP 15• COP was neutral, neither approved nordisapproved the CA taking note of its existence• CA solved the question of reduction in the simpleway: all countries shall report by 31 Jan 2010their national reduction targets• quantified reduction target by 2020 by developedcountries (Annex I) .• NAMAs by developing countries (non-Annex I)

COPENHAGEN ACCORD (2)• Global temperature increase should be below 2C• Enhanced action and international cooperation on adaptation• Crucial role of reducing emission from deforestation and forestdegradation (REDD) is recognized, mobilize financial resources• Scaled up, new and additional, predictable and adequate fundingcommitments by developed countries and improved access fordeveloping countries:• USD 30 billion for 2010-2012 to support both mitigation and adaptationin developing countries• a goal of jointly mobilizing USD 100 billion a year by 2020 for mitigationaction, conditional upon transparency• Establishment of a High Level Panel to explore potential sources ofrevenue and the Copenhagen Green Climate Fund to support bothadaptation and mitigation, technology transfer and capacity building

Main (subjective) messages• Changed structure of the world –geopoliticalreshaping• National, voluntary actions are strengthened• Countries’ freedom and responsibilities areincreasing• More room for actions for a bottom-up approachon national level• Increased stakeholder involvement

•World leaders (from top row L clockwise) U.S. President BarackObama, France's President Nicolas Sarkozy,German ChancellorAngela Merkel, European Commission President Jose ManuelBarroso, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, Chinese PremierWen Jiabao, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Japan's PrimeMinister Yukio Hatoyama, Australia's Prime Minister KevinRudd,Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Brazil's President LuizInacio Lula da Silva, South Africa's President Jacob Zuma, Iran'sPresident Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Indonesia's President SusiloBambang Yudhoyono, Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe,India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh address the generalassembly of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 inCopenhagen December 16-18, 2009. World leaders worked throughthe early hours to try and beat a Friday deadline for a deal on cuttingemissions and helping poor countries cope with the costly impact ofglobal warming.•REUTERS/Staff (DENMARK - Tags: POLITICSENVIRONMENT IMAGES OF THE DAY)

SPEECH BY HRH THE PRINCE OF WALESCOPENHAGEN CLIMATE SUMMIT15th DECEMBER 2009“As our planet.s life-supportsystem begins tofail and our very survival as aspecies is brought intoquestion, remember Finallythat our children andgrandchildren will ask notwhat our generation said,butwhat it did. Let us give ananswer, then, of which we canbe proud….”

“Act before it’s too late!”

• The essential political agreement for which we allyearned in Copenhagen• is only rationally possible if we give up thinking interms of winners and losers, and if we strive not for arigid, single solution but for a complex, long-term, winwin,and frequently adjusted global system withstrong regional basis

CEE, SEE, Turkey• Although Central and Eastern Europe, SouthEastern Europe and Turkey present differenteconomic, cultural and historical facets, thecountries are interconnected and today, morethan ever, are facing common challenges.• They have a rich but – according to the IPCC report –very vulnerable environment, and big potential forgreenhouse gas emissions reductions.

• The REC continues actively to support subregionalcooperation in combating climatechange:• facilitating the South East European Climate ChangeFramework Action Plan for Adaptation• coordinating the activities of the sub-regional VirtualClimate Change Centre for South Eastern Europe• other related activities at national level, including theestablishment of the Turkish Climate Platform

• The REC recommends• enhancing region-specific scientific activities in thefield of climate projections and impact assessment tosupport the work of the IPCC• to provide greater focus on regional aspects in IPCC’snext assessment report in order to enable thedevelopment of regional solutions based on solidscientific knowledge

• In Central and Eastern Europe – and beyond – it is crucialto increase the share of renewable energy sources inthe energy mix and to promote energy efficiency solutions,sustainable consumption patterns and sustainableproduction methods• Education and awareness raising on climate changeand sustainable development, and capacity building forkey stakeholders such as governments, municipalities,NGOs, the business sector and younger members of oursociety are also key to avert the threat of climate changeand to promote the concept of sustainable developmentin all areas of life

• To begin with, a feasible and effective political dealshould include the much-needed financial fast track,followed by ambitious commitments on mitigation andadaptation, financing and the transfer of technology fromdeveloped countries, and all this within a propergovernance framework for funding, implementation andmonitoring.• The participation of stakeholders at all levels, from globaland national to sub-national and local, includingbusinesses, IGOs, NGOs and other major groups, isessential to ensure both efficiency and transparency.

ENERGYEFFICIENCYATTITUDE&BEHAVIOURRENEWABLEENERGY

I. Education for the youngests!• Development of cartoon series for 4-7 years oldchildren• Energy conservation• Renewable energy• Sustainable transport• Launch in 2010!

II. Kyoto in the home• 3 year running project (2006), 9countries, 16 partners• How individuals/families in homes cancontribute to the Kyoto target (EE andRES)• Advice and information, educationalresources• Carbon calculator• Curriculum was prepared, teachers arebeing trained how to use• Chapters: sustainable energy use,effective use of energy in the homes,RES, heat loss, passive solar energy,heating water by solar panels, heatpumps, biomass, wind, photovoltaic.

III. Green Pack• 2001 with the support of Toyota MotorCorporation, the REC developed acomprehensive environmentaleducation programme in Central andEastern Europe (Green Pack)• The REC and respective local partnersdeveloped a comprehensiveenvironmental education programmespecial for each country.• A multi-media environmental educationcurriculum kit• Primarily intended for secondaryschool teachers and their students• Focus on particular aspects ofenvironmental protection andsustainable development• 20.000+ teachers• 2.00.000+ studentsIn 14 countries….

IV. Courses for Sustainable Development• A comprehensive (~ 1 month!) educational programmeabout the “three pillars” of sustainable developmentinitiated by the Italian Government• Target groups• Key senior government officials• Media• Business associations• Members of various ministries, agencies and thebusiness examine the major approaches to sustainabledevelopment• In four regions:• SEE• CEE• Black Sea Region• Kazakhstan

V. The Climate Project• Cooperation with The Climate Project – plans for2010!• Training for Central and Eastern Europeanvolunteers

“Act before it’s too late!”BECAUSE