South Africa

Delegates gather outside plenary before the start of the high-level segment. On Tuesday, the Chile/Madrid Climate Change Conference transitioned into a more political mode. Ministers arrived with considerable work ahead of them, aiming to reconcile difficult issues and to raise the profile - and ambition - of the conference. After the subsidiary bodies’ late close in the early morning hours of Tuesday, several issues were left for consultations to be co-facilitated by ministers: Article 6 (market and non-market approaches) will be discussed in consultations led by Minister Barbara Creecy, South Africa, and Minister James Shaw, New Zealand; Review of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage associated with Climate Change Impacts (WIM) will be discussed in consultations led by Minister Simon Stiell, Grenada, and Minister Ola Elvestuen, Norway; Outcome decision of the conference will be discussed in consultations led by Minister Masagos Zulkifli, Singapore, and Minister Teresa Ribera Rodríguez, Spain; and Response measures will be discussed in consultations led by ministers, to be announced. The COP Presidency will facilitate discussions on the periodic review of the long-term global goal, the Consultative Group of Experts (CGE), and gender. Ministers around the venue were busy sharing statements in the high-level segment and at a ministerial dialogue on adaptation ambition. Opening the high-level segment, COP 25 President Carolina Schmidt set the tone for holistic discussions on climate action, stressing how climate change exacerbates existing inequalities and that climate action needs to be fair for all. Thanking youth activists, Minister Teresa Ribera Rodríguez, Spain, called on all “to be climate activists, and to do more.” In the afternoon, the COP Presidency convened a high-level ministerial dialogue on adaptation ambition. One minister noted that “no country is safe” from the impacts of climate change, and all must therefore redouble adaptation efforts. Ministers from Japan, Botswana, Fiji, Uruguay, and the Netherlands, among others, presented on their countries’ efforts to build adaptation ambition, discussing: the use of nature-based solutions; climate finance for developing countries; and lessons learned. The Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action held events throughout the day. Roundtables convened on circular economy principles in the construction and packaging sectors. Participants also discussed resilience and SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy). With many discussions now occurring at higher political levels, and behind closed doors, many delegates welcomed the break after an intensive first week. They also wondered how the many divides across the issues would be bridged. For more details on the day’s negotiations and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB).

On Wednesday, participants to the Trondheim Conference on Biodiversity heard presentations focusing on “achieving change.” In the afternoon, small groups met to discuss a series of topics selected by the participants. In the evening, a reception hosted by the Norwegian Environment Agency took place at the Sverresborg Folk Museum. Peter White, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, presented perspectives from the private sector. Sol Ortiz García, Mexico, showcased biodiversity mainstreaming as a key strategy for achieving change. Bob Scholes, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, presented on the findings of the IPBES Thematic Assessment on land degradation and restoration. Bernardo Strassburg, International Institute for Sustainability, Brazil, outlined a strategic approach to restoration planning in Brazil. Drawing on examples from multilateral processes, Aleksandar Rankovic, Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI), France, noted that the post-2020 framework should focus on creating the best possible conditions for domestic implementation. A panel discussion then addressed interlinkages among different sectors and the value of taking a “nexus” approach. Luc Bas, IUCN, urged for more investment in nature-based solutions, also as part of the climate change debate. Vera Agostini, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), presented on fisheries' sustainability. María Rivera, Ramsar Convention Secretariat, called for an integrated approach, which entails: linking biodiversity to water; including wetlands under nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change; and increasing cooperation among different focal points. Suneetha Subramanian, United Nations University International Institute for Global Health, called for linking social considerations to the biophysical environment through a set of institutions, and for making the connection between health and biodiversity. In the afternoon, participants heard from Anne Nuorgam, Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, on perspectives and insights from indigenous peoples on the post-2020 framework; and from Keping Ma, Chinese Academy of Sciences, on China's ecological conservation redlining policy. Participants then met in small groups to share their own experiences with a focus on good practices, aiming to identify which changes need to happen and how, on the basis of successes and failures in the implementation of the Aichi targets. Several small groups discussed topics including: voluntary commitments; ecological connectivity; biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction; spatial targets; participatory approaches in species conservation; implementation of Aichi Target 18 on traditional knowledge; and experience with the voluntary peer-review under the Convention on Biological Diversity.