Malawi

As discussions on finance began, members of civil society demonstrate in the corridors, calling for stronger financial mechanisms to effectively combat the climate crisis. The Chile/Madrid Climate Change Conference continued on Tuesday. Delegates began detailed negotiations on a wide range of issues, from finance to transparency, adaptation to markets, and gender to response measures. Meanwhile, the COP Presidency began highlighting important themes for this “Blue COP.” Article 6 negotiations for market and non-market approaches featured prominently. Heads of delegation met in the morning to discuss expectations and a process for concluding these negotiations at this session. In the afternoon, detailed negotiations began, in a room filled beyond capacity, with parties focusing first on the non-market approaches and then turning to the market-related mechanisms. The Co-Facilitators will produce new versions of the draft texts by Wednesday, 4 December, to help parties advance their work. Several potentially thorny finance issues were raised, including taking stock of progress toward the goal of USD 100 billion per year by 2020, and steps toward setting a new quantified goal from 2025. Discussions on the membership of the Adaptation Fund Board proved difficult, with little common ground found in the initial negotiating session. During this meeting, there is much work remaining for finance issues, including providing guidance to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and Global Environment Facility (GEF). The Chilean Presidency brought attention to key cross-cutting issues. In an informal dialogue on the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIPP), several speakers highlighted the role of traditional knowledge and the need to include a range of perspectives in supporting climate action throughout the work of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Presidency also launched the Platform for Science-Based Ocean Solutions. As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC) highlighted, the ocean is already experiencing significant effects that will be increasingly dangerous without urgent action. The Platform will help create a community of practice to share lessons, encourage concrete policies, and facilitate access to resources and solutions for the ocean. Practical advice emerged from the workshop on the Koronivia joint work on agriculture on ways to improve nutrient use and manure management. Congratulating participants on reaching the halfway point of the joint work, Stella Gama, Malawi, stressed that “action is urgent,” and that “we need to change gears” to ensure food security for all. For more details on the day’s negotiations and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB).