Category: Uncategorized

Zhi Yi: Identifying and understanding the ways in which oceans are mentioned in climate change policy

As an Environmental Studies major and a diver concerned about the state of our oceans, climate change is naturally an issue of interest to me. Increasing greenhouse gas emissions are altering marine ecosystems towards states that has not been observed for millions of years, with risk of irreversible changes to these ecosystems[1]. However, it is only recently that the oceans have received more significant attention in climate negotiations, with much further action still necessary. My goal for this conference is to investigate how oceans are being included (or omitted) from countries’ adaptation and mitigation strategies.

Before the conference itself, I intend to do some research and look into the literature to first better understand countries’ current initiatives and efforts. Gallo et al.’s (2017)[2] analysis of the inclusion of marine ecosystems in countries’ NDCs will prove to be useful here and will help direct me to further research that has been done in this field. I have also reached out to Dr. Webster from Dartmouth College who specializes in marine policy and will hopefully be able to meet her while in Katowice. I intend to come up with a list of questions which I can then use to engage policymakers/researchers working in these areas. The Ocean Pathway Partnership[3] was also successfully launched in COP23 by the co-chairs, Fiji and Sweden. Following up on this partnership, the Pacific and Koronivia Pavilion will be hosted in COP24, with a line-up of side events[4] slated to happen in Katowice. I plan to attend these events and of course take notes on what has been done and what is being done by countries that are part of this Partnership. I also will keep a lookout for relevant plenaries including coastal states (especially Fiji, and other states in AOSIS) and take notes from there. I will of course try to engage policymakers/researchers that have been doing research in this area to find out more. Finally, I have also volunteered to interview Mr Ong Tze Huang from the National Climate Change Secretariat and intend to ask specific questions about Singapore’s inclusion of marine ecosystem in its NDCs (currently Singapore includes marine-related adaptation in its NDC, but not mitigation).

One key actionable of the Ocean Pathway is to develop a strategy for increasing the role of ocean considerations in the UNFCCC process. This includes creating a more “ocean-friendly” Paris rulebook which would better consider the impacts of climate change on the oceans. Furthermore, achieving the ambition of the Paris Agreement (to keep warming 1.5 or well below 2 degrees) would not be possible without a functioning ocean. The oceans thus present both a challenge (in terms of adaptation) and an opportunity (in terms of mitigation) to the Paris Agreement.

Through this conference, I hope to have a better understanding of how the oceans are being represented in the UNFCCC process. The oceans have only just started to gain more attention at the climate conferences, and I am keen to find out more about upcoming initiatives that will better incorporate the oceans into negotiations. Since this is also such a new field, I also hope to be able to identify knowledge gaps, and potentially pursue one of these gaps as a capstone project. Finally, the conference also presents an opportunity for me to meet others working on similar topics, and I hope to be able to connect with them to expand my professional network and explore possible future collaborations.

[1] O. Hoegh-Guldberg and J. F. Bruno, “The Impact of Climate Change on the World’s Marine Ecosystems,” Science 328, no. 5985 (June 18, 2010): 1523–28, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1189930.

[2] Natalya D. Gallo, David G. Victor, and Lisa A. Levin, “Ocean Commitments under the Paris Agreement,” Nature Climate Change 7, no. 11 (2017): 833–38, https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate3422.

[3] https://cop23.com.fj/the-ocean-pathway/

[4] https://cop23.com.fj/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Programme-Pacific-and-Koronivia-Pavilion-Schedule-2.pdf

SANGAM: HOW DO HIMALAYAN STATES APPROACH THE ISSUES OF CLIMATE CHANGE?

I am Sangam Paudel, a sophomore and a prospective environmental studies student at Yale-NUS College, Singapore. Having grown up in Nepal, always within the sight of the Himalayas, I am interested in learning how the countries of the Himalayan region (‘Himalayan states’) tackle the growing threat of climate change.

Vulnerable communities, often those with very little carbon emissions, risk suffering the brunt of climate change. This is especially true for the Himalayan region, which is susceptible to a large number of climate-change aggravated hazards. The increased magnitude of these impacts, coupled with the weak economic strength, means that these countries need to seek financial support for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

As such, the results of COP24 will be of vital importance to these states. During the conference, I will be closely following the activities of these Himalayan states, with a special focus on Nepal, to understand their priorities and their corresponding methods of negotiation. Based on Nepal’s preparation for the COP and the prime minister’s address at the climate vulnerable forum, Nepal’s priorities seem to center around the theme of climate justice. In his address to the Climate Vulnerable Forum, Prime Minister KP Oli mentioned that easier access to climate fund and affordable technology would be key to climate action in developing countries, such as Nepal. A further elaboration on the specific nature of the aforementioned fund and technology will likely be observed in the COP. Furthermore, lead by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari (previously the Minister of Population and Environment), Nepal will probably present facts about their carbon emissions, their efforts at mitigation and adaptation, and the huge risks they face, to appeal their case.

Thus, during the conference, I will mainly be observing the following issues:

• Climate Funds for developing nations: The Paris agreement included the commitment of developed countries to mobilize funds to aid the efforts of developing countries. Given that access to climate funds is a priority for Nepal as well, I plan to observe the specific issues of fund disbursement to the Himalayan states. Related side-events and information from high-level negotiations (likely obtainable through social media) may be important in this aspect.
• Role of non-governmental actors and community-level organizations in building adaptive capacity in the region
• Formation of coalitions between the different parties involved

To prepare for the conference, I have been closely following the preparations made by Nepal by going through the presentations organized by the ministry. I have also been in contact with officials attending the conference, and I have had positive feedback regarding the possibility of meeting some officials in Katowice. I am awaiting correspondence with other attendees, and I hope to have some insightful conversations in Katowice.

Further, I  am attending numerous side events, including “Water and Climate: How to Increase Engagement of Private Actors”, “Up-scaling Adaptation Actions in LDCs through Innovative Technology, Finance and Capacity Building”, “1.5 degrees from a community perspective”, “The powers of water – on the way to the sustainable use of nature’s driving force”,  “Transforming Energy Systems: Directing Finance Away from Fossil Fuels Towards Renewable Energy”, and “Battle for climate change will be won or lost in Asia and the Pacific.” All these events are either organized by or related to actors in the Himalayan region and involve a diverse range of topics. Also, these side events are organized by varied actors, including NGOs, community groups, government officials, and development banks. As such, I would be able to obtain diverse perspectives on climate change issues in the region. I would, however, be unable to attend 11^th December’s event titled “International Mountain Day – Mountain adaptation: Vulnerable peaks and people”. The event is attended by high-level representatives from the mountainous region across the globe, and it promises to be an engaging inter-governmental discourse on mountain adaptation.

The learning possibilities from the conference seem abundant. For me, I hope to be more familiar with the plethora of actors and their approaches in undertaking the different aspects of climate change mitigation and adaptation in the Himalayan region. The climate fund seems to have a paramount importance, and observing the various processes involved in its disbursement will certainly aid my understanding of environmental politics.

 

Elwin: Climate Negotiations Leadership

My name is Elwin, and I’m a third year environmental studies major from Yale-NUS College in Singapore. I’m extremely excited and honored to get the chance to attend the 24th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 24) in Katowice this year. I hope to use these blog posts as a way to share my reflections and learning points from my experience there.

The topic that I will be focusing on while I’m at COP24 is climate negotiations leadership. On June 1 2017, President Trump announced his intention to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement, even though the rules of the agreement mean that the earliest date that the U.S. can exit from the Paris Agreement is November 4, 2020 (far enough into the future that there is no guarantee that Trump will remain U.S. president by then). My curiosity in the future of climate negotiations leadership comes from how the U.S. has been seen as one of the leaders up until the 2017 announcement. Parker & Karlsson (2018) argue that U.S. leadership was key to the success of Paris – Obama went in with clear negotiation objectives that included having an agreement that required action from all major emitters, as well as bottom-up national pledges instead of the top-down structure of the Kyoto Protocol. This shaped the Paris Agreement as we know it today. Will Trump’s move create a leadership gap that will be filled by other nations, groups of nations, or other actors? Alternatively, does it demonstrate the flaws of the agreement, paving the way for other highly-polluting nations to shun prior responsibilities? COP24 is the deadline for the “Paris rulebook” – a set of implementing guidelines for Paris Agreement that may create ‘lock-in’ for future pathways of action. Hence, this is a crucial point where strong leadership would benefit our collective futures.

Most of the academic literature on climate negotiations leadership has focused either on European countries or the U.S. To make the most of my opportunity of being at the conference and having inside access to events and information, I will focus on two less-studied potential sources of leadership: (1) BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India & China) countries, and (2) non-state actors.

Earlier this year, BASIC countries released a joint statement where they expressed a “determination to complete and adopt the Paris Agreement Work Programme (PAWP)” at COP24 – could this represent a form of leadership from developing countries? My area of academic specialization within my environmental studies major is environmental justice, and so I’m interested the implications of developing country leadership in climate negotiations – will international norms play a part in influencing cooperation and increased mitigation action from developed countries? However, I see two obstacles to this. Firstly, the BASIC countries statement also urges developed countries to honor prior commitments to reach US$100b per year in climate finance by 2020 – which the U.S. was a big contributor to. Secondly, I wonder what China’s direction will be in their commitments, given that former-President Obama and President Xi announced their climate action goals in a joint announcement in 2014.

Secondly, I also want to examine the potential for leadership by non-state actors. There will be a range of side events as well as talks at the Action Hub that focus on climate action. For instance, the We Are Still In initiative in the U.S. brings together a wide range of non-state actors in support of continued climate action leadership by the U.S. By attending side events, asking questions, talking to leading experts in their respective fields and doing my own research through journals and emerging news articles, I hope to get insight into these areas of interests that I wouldn’t be able to access without being there in Katowice.

Zac: Energy Systems in Asia and the World: Zero/Negative Emission Technology

 

Hey there, my name is Zac, I am an Environmental Studies major, specializing in climate change technological applications (e.g. zero/negative emission technology), Water & Waste Systems, Environmental policymaking and Resilience Systems Framework. I have a Diploma in Environmental & Water Technology aka Environmental Engineering, which is why the technical side of environmental studies interests me.

In the conference, I am hoping to be able to observe events such as the Global Climate Action, National Statements of the countries in South-East Asia, and all the side events and exhibitions that have to do with my area of interests. My area of interests in this COP-24 is the business of energy market in the Asia-Pacific region. Given that most of the countries in the Asia-Pacific region still runs primarily on fossil-fuel, I am interested to study how is it going to change and how are the countries going to achieve their Paris Agreement targets. At the same time, that does not mean that I will just be focusing on the Asia-Pacific region only and ignore the rest of the world, given that the world runs as a complex adaptive system of panarchy. I will also keep a lookout for events regarding China’s One belt One Road initiative to learn more about it since it affects a lot of countries in the world. Since I am also in Katowice, I will also be observing how Poland is going to progress in their energy systems, they are currently the 2nd highest coal user in the EU.

My methods are to visit all the main events that have relations to energy and countries statements, the side-events and exhibitions, interviewing Ong Tze Haung from the Singapore’s PM Office. I will also hope to visit Katowice’s coal-fired power plant to see if there is any technological advancement in improving efficiency or having a cleaner output by air filtration or wet scrubbing of the exhaust chimney, or anything they are doing to improve the air quality.

At the side events and exhibitions, I will be going to keep a lookout for Energy, National Determined Contributions, Paris Agreement, and Sustainable development, especially if they have something to do about the Asia region as well. For example, “People Power Now! Transforming our Energy System”, “Making climate action more transparent and ambitious: lessons learned from the NDCs”, “The role of agriculture, energy and systemic change to meet the Paris Agreement”.

At the interview with Ong Tze Haung, since he is working in the Singapore National Climate Change Secretariat, I will be asking questions about Singapore’s transition to renewable energy.

Qi Hang: Tracking China’s Role at COP24 and the Role of Businesses in Climate Action

I am Qi Hang, a senior majoring in Global Affairs, with a principal interest in the role and implication of a rising China in regional global governance issues, with interest in adjacent topics such as political economy, business impact and environmental risks and opportunities that China’s change brings. My capstone in particular, focuses on the economic risks of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and more importantly, looking at the idea of China’s image and incentive to spread positive influence. Previously, I have also worked on the sustainability and environmental aspects of the BRI, having published a couple of pieces on the shadow ecology of the BRI in exporting carbon to less developed countries.

I have two main research objectives for the COP24. During my stay in Katowice from 3^rd to 7^th December, I will focus on (i) observing the role that Chinese state will play in COP24, and (ii) the role of the private sector in driving change towards a low-carbon global economy, hopefully also with a focus on Chinese involvement.

On the first point of research, I will be working closely with Daniela Schulman from Yale College. While I initiate the research project in the first week, Dani will take over in the second. We plan to observe recurring language and themes in China’s national statement, plenary announcements and other state-level proclamations that we can gain access to. We plan look closely at China’s state-level involvement during COP24, and their role in pushing forward conversations, and whether they are taking on a stronger leadership role. Specifically, we are also interested in drawing comparisons between China’s commitment in domestic policies, and international policies regarding the BRI, measured by proxy using the language in China’s public declarations and statements. We would try to gain access to plenary sessions in between the side events to our greatest capabilities, and would actively look out for state-level declarations that are made available to the public, as well as informal conversations we hear during and between events. We would pay particular attention to the schedule of events organized by the Chinese delegation at the Chinese pavilion.

On the second point of research, while I focus on the role of private businesses in driving the development and adoption of sustainable technology, and pushing for greater profitability and thus economic co-benefits within existing sustainability frameworks, Dani will focus more on the role of NGOs and other civil society organizations (CSOs). We will still retain a focus on China within this research area, looking out for where Chinese non-state actors have a prominent and rising role to play. From the overview of the lineup of side events, it seems like there will be more China-centric side events focusing on the role of non-state actors during the week Dani is in Katowice. Nevertheless, I will still be able to get significant insight from side events from 3^rd to 7^th December. For example, “Innovative climate technologies and sustainable maritime transport for a climate resilient industry” on 5^th December will likely involve conversations China’s BRI – the biggest infrastructure megaproject in recent history.

Ideally, we would like to publish daily blogs of around 500 words capturing in the insights gleaned each day. Some of the platforms we have considered range from professional ones such as China Dialogue and Eco-Business, to student-run online publications such as China Hands at Yale University. Should the plan to deliver real-time blog posts not work out, we aim to produce two longer weekly summaries from our time on the ground.

Annamarie: How can developed nations help secure water security in developing nations?

I’m Annamarie Martin, a third year Environmental Studies major from Yale-NUS College. My project for this conference will explore water security, and more specifically how developed nations can help promote water security in developing nations.
I currently plan on attending side conferences that tackle the issue of water security and scarcity from a variety of angles — how water can help achieve climate neutrality, the role that private sectors play, financing mechanisms.

My strategy would be to attend a good mix of conferences, either directly or tangentially related to my topic. There are 3 key conferences I plan to attend, amongst others:

1. Water and climate: how to increase engagement of private actors
a. This conference will be very useful to my exploration of water security solutions. I have been exploring and doing extensive research on Singapore’s position as a global Hydrohub. Due to its heavy investments in the development of niche water technology, Singapore should hold a lot of export potential in water technologies, especially to developing nations. This conference will thus inform me on the possible strategies and ways in which private actors and firms can boost water security around the region.

2. A tropical country response to climate change with integrated water resources management
a. This conference explores how Sri Lanka can adapt to climate change with proper water resource management. It would be interesting to gain an additional perspective to IWRM in a neighbouring tropical country, which can provide useful lessons that can be applied to Singapore as well.

3. Enhancing ocean and climate change observing in developing nations using Low-cost technologies and training
a. This conference will inform me on the possibilities and potential that exists for technology to be transferred to developing nations, given the common barrier of high financial costs of technology.

Apart from attending conferences, I will be visiting exhibit booths as well. These include “Why there is a need of international climate finance in view to meet the need of resilience infrastructure and water crisis for CVCs” as well as “Water-related adaptation and mitigation investments – information systems, institutions & governance, infrastructure – that build climate resilience of economies, livelihoods, and ecosystems through improved water security.” While at conferences I will mainly be listening in, taking notes and synthesising the different kinds of information received, I will use the exhibits to talk to people who have been involved in the research, and connect with others who have similar interests.

The Paris climate agreements made the enhancement of adaptive capacities and climate change resilience a global goal, which is a first — this is particularly relevant to water. Water is often the main medium in which climate change reflects its clearest and most direct impact on our livelihoods. In light of the recent IPCC report warning us of the effects of global temperature increase beyond 1.5 degrees celcius, it is especially relevant for this COP to address how communities plan on being resilient to potential effects that may arise from flooding, water quality changes, agricultural changes etc. I will be looking out for discussions and references made to this agreement on resilience, and whether resilience and adaptive concepts are being incorporated into water management strategies and water policy.

Jia Min: How are forest science knowledge products used and not used in policy discussions?

Let’s start off with a series of limericks, titled Funny thing about some scientists is.

Funny thing about some scientists is

that they think that all their analysis

is value-neutral

and unemotional,

and that they derive power from this.

 

One day inspiration hit me! I thought:

Your voice on my face would be well-sought.

So I gathered a team

to make reality my dream

Who’d have known all the trouble we brought?

 

The reason why governments are stubborn?

They’ve not enough knowledge to govern!

The more truth that I publish,

in their brains the less rubbish,

Science is all you need for a decision.

 

Imagine how much we can predict

if we made everyone a science addict!

We’d know when Earth ends,

or if we have Martian friends,

Who cares about humans in conflict?

I initially wrote the above for a poetry class but it wasn’t exactly good poetry because of the unambiguity of my stance, but I just thought it might make a good summary for my motivations going into COP24. I am Jia Min, a third-year Environmental Studies major with an interest in tropical forest conservation ecology. I love plants more than animals and searing sun more than gentle rain. I strongly believe that conservation ecology involves more than asking an ecological question with conservation consequences. Instead it is ecology that is specifically designed for conservation, with its ethical, political and social quandaries in mind. Many scientists, however, are concerned that such a philosophy robs them (and the science field) of their credibility, and thus seek not to be perceived as advocates. Yet scientists also struggle with being painfully aware of the scale of transformation needed to avert climate change’s worst effects (see here and here), and at least a few would agree that greater scientific consensus seems to have done little in comparison.

To gain some inspiration on coping with this conundrum and how exactly science and scientists can play a bigger role in forest policy, I hope to answer the question,

“How are forest science knowledge products used and not used in policy discussions?”.

Examples of science knowledge products include databases on suitable areas for restoration that are based on surveys or some scientifically-determined threshold (e.g. the Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology used in the New York Declaration on Forests), REDD+ guidelines based on calculations of the carbon storage potentials of different forest types, ages, and species, and of course science products in its more traditional form of scientific publications.

Sub-questions I may wish to interrogate include (Assume by science I mean forest-related science – related to afforestation, reforestation or deforestation (AFR)):

• what types of science products are used in discussions of policy?
• what narratives or actions is science used to legitimize?
• how does science contribute to ambiguity or uncertainty as to the effectiveness of particular policies?

(This question is motivated by how there is still some uncertainty as to whether       forests serve as a net carbon source of sink (e.g. Nadine Unger’s “To save the planet         don’t plant trees” article and some of the associated debates (here) or more recently, University of Edinburgh’s suggestion that “Tropical forests may soon hinder, not help, climate change effort”)

During the conference I will be attending events listed on the REDD+ website, dropping by relevant booths (i.e. those explicitly related to forests or science), the SBSTA-IPCC special event, and for the rest of the time, the negotiations. I will probably be making observations using the sub-questions, taking note of what science knowledge products are referenced and highlighted, how often I hear things like ‘science-based policy’ and the examples that are given, and also what kinds of inputs are sought from scientists at the negotiations, if any, and why scientists choose to phrase things the way they do.

As a side project to understand how scientists see their role in the negotiations and the broader climate change policy circles, I will also be compiling a video of responses by scientists to the prompt, “In one sentence, what does science-based policy mean to you?” or a variation (e.g. what does it look like to you?), depending on trends that emerge when people respond.

If it emerges from the COP24 proceedings or these videos and short conversations with scientists that really my answer to my main question depends on scientists’ own perceptions of their roles, or that actually only scientists talk about science and few others do, I may also wish to study the responses by scientists to the call for inputs for the Talanoa Dialogue – specifically how scientists or science-based groups have responded.

Looking forward!