Katowice climate talks: Progress only on areas US, developed nations favour

Progress only in areas that US and developed countries favour

Negotiators at the climate conference made some progress behind closed doors on parts of the Paris Agreement rule-book, which developed countries preferred not to block. 

But, work on other provisions of the global climate change pact remained in stalemate on the third day of the Katowice climate talks. Most progress on the rules was registered for the transparency regime — regulations which will govern how countries perform under the Paris Agreement starting 2021 is scrutinised.

Areas of interest to developing countries — climate finance, the nature of targets or Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement, and adaptation — remain stuck, with countries and country groupings hardening their positions.

“Some developed countries have said they do not have the mandate from their governments to talk on ex-ante reporting on climate finance at Katowice,” said one developing country negotiator who monitors developments on the subject.

“But the Africa Group of Nations (the negotiating bloc for all African countries) has made it clear that they do not have the mandate to let the rule-book remain silent or weak on ex-ante climate finance information,” he added. Most other developing country groupings have stood by African countries so far. 

The Paris Agreement requires developed countries to provide information beforehand on how much finance they shall provide in coming years to developing and poor countries. This is referred to as either ex-ante climate finance information or the debate over Article 9.5 under the Paris Agreement in the climate jargon.

“India stands with developing countries on the issue of climate finance. Ex-ante information on climate finance provides the predictability that developing countries require to plan our climate actions,” said an Indian negotiator at Katowice. “Also, if we do not know what the countries are committing how can we later review whether they came through on their commitments on not?” he asked.

The hard positions led the Polish hosts to organise daily and regular meetings with the heads of delegations on issues that are far from resolution. The hosts and Presidency plan to provide the first draft comprehensive iteration of the Paris Agreement rule-book on Wednesday and a second one by Saturday before negotiations hit high gear in the second week.

“We are at early stages today (Tuesday). Tomorrow the negotiations will move into the next stage as a first iteration in open to help all assess where we stand,” said another developing country negotiator.

On transparency the US and other developed countries have insisted on common rules applying to developing and developed countries at the earliest. 

Developing countries such as India have interpreted the Paris Agreement to provide that only developed countries are required to undergo a stricter transparency regime right away and developing countries can decide, based on their national capacities and circumstances, when they are ready to do so. This they see as how differentiation gets operationalised under the Paris Agreement and does not get only lip-service under the pact from 2021 onwards. 

“When we say progress, all we mean is that at least we are seeing all sides engage constructively on the issues and not block conversation entirely. Considering how we are stuck on other parts of the rule-book, one can say even this is progress,” said the developing country negotiator.

“The US announcement of exiting the Paris Agreement has changed many things since we agreed to the pact in 2015. It has changed the nature of negotiations. This is why we are back to discussing if differentiation exists between developing and developed countries under the Paris Agreement or not and if we need more detail on climate finance or not,” said a senior Indian negotiator.

“India is keen to see the rule-book is completed at Katowice. It is not in our favour to see the work remaining incomplete at Katowice this year. But, we are also for balanced guidelines, which help implement all parts of the Paris Agreement and do not undermine it,” he added.