Tom Youngman

Doha climate talks (COP18) roundup: pick of the best writing and video

A quick round-up of some of my highlights from the 2012 UN climate talks that took place in Doha, Qatar earlier this month:

From the negotiations:

• Video: Filipino negotiator Yeb Sano delivers the most powerful speech of the conference
• Video: civil society statements in the closing session of COP18
• Video: Munira Sibai delivers an extremely powerful speech of behalf of youth at the close of negotiations

From the youth:

• Video: Adopt a Negotiator brilliantly caricature the negotiating positions of the EU and Australia in their ‘Climate Political Theatre’ videos 
• Video: a rapid-response youth action organised at 3:30am as negotiations were in their last, critical hours
• Article: Responding to Climate Change introduce the newest and most exciting members of the youth constituency this year, the Arab Youth Climate Movement
• Video: midway through the conference, two Arab youths were outrageously removed from the conference and rapidly deport for unfolding a banner in the conference centre
• Statement: co-written by youth around the world, a response to leaders’ portrayal of COP18 as a success.

From the UK Youth Climate Coalition:

• Press release: a reaction released to press at the close of the talks
• Video: a raw, angry video from Jamie Peters recorded as the talks were ongoing
• Video: Camilla Born offers her personal reflections on the talks
• Video: the UKYCC delegation offer a ‘behind-the-scenes’ glimpse of their time at the talks

From elsewhere:

• Article: John Ashton, former head of UK climate diplomacy, argues that our climate diplomacy needs a better domestic grounding to be successful
• Article: Pablo Solon, former head Bolivian negotiator, argues that the climate negotiations have had their ‘fourth strike’ and we need to look elsewhere for a solution to climate change
• Article: John Vidal explains how youth have brought urgency to negotiations, quoting UK Youth Climate Coalition delegates at length

A Proposal: Let’s demand the ‘impossible’.

The science is clear. We need to take urgent, ambitious action on climate change. Even conservative sources, such as the International Energy Agency, estimate we have less than five years to take meaningful action on climate change, or seriously harmful effects will be irreversible.

Meanwhile, the politics is uncompromising. In Durban nations agreed to implement a new climate treaty in 2020. It doesn’t take genius to realise that this is too late. The Kyoto Protocol (the existing climate treaty) will continue until then - but it does not include Japan, Canada, USA or Russia - in fact it only covers around 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions. It is clear that the political solution on the table is highly inadequate.

This decision has already been made. By the usual rules, it is fixed. But why should we play by the usual rules? As young people in international climate negotiations, I see it as our role to demand what is necessary to safeguard the survival and wellbeing of all nations and peoples - and if that includes calling for action outside the current agenda, then so be it.

Some may call this naïvety. The truth is, this is not calling for the impossible. This is calling for what is distinctly possible - the new treaty will be agreed by 2015, it could be implemented earlier. What identifies it as impossible is political will - and that is something that constantly changes, and changes at the whim of the people. If we open the conversation, our governments will be forced to participate in it.

Therefore I call for what most negotiators would consider ‘impossible’, but what in reality is not only possible, but essential:

1. The outcome of the Durban Platform should enter into force as soon as possible - ideally 2016, soon after the outcome is agreed, but no later than 2018.
2. The outcome of the Durban Platform should be ambitious and equitable,  reaffirming commitments made by all nations when they signed the UNFCCC in 1992.
3. The second Kyoto Protocol commitment period should finish immediately before the new treaty begins - therefore lasting between three and five years.