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Climate change

Global Forum on the Environment and Climate Change - organised by the Climate Change Expert Group (CCXG) October 2019

1-2 October 2019
9h00-18h00
Paris, France
Global Forum

This Global Forum focused on various aspects of Article 6 negotiations, on the challenges and opportunities related to developing Long-term Low-emissions Development Strategies (LT-LEDS) and on the opportunities in the electricity sector for enhancing NDC ambition.

Agenda

Three key takeaways from each of the breakout group discussions:

  

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DAY 1: Tuesday 1 October, 2019 

09:50 – 11:00 Opening Plenary: How can COP25 promote increased ambition?

Collective progress to date on mitigation and adaptation is insufficient to meet the long-term aims in the Paris Agreement. COP25 is promoting the need for an increase in mitigation and adaptation ambition at the national and international level. This session focused on how COP25 could help Parties to accelerate domestic mitigation efforts. The panellists also provided views on how COP25 could help deliver a more complete rulebook of the Paris Agreement, with the inclusion of Article 6 guidelines, rules, modalities and procedures. 

Facilitator: Helen Plume, CCXG Chair

Speakers 

  • H.E. Felipe Morandé, Chile
  • H.E. Kay Harrison, New Zealand

11:30 - 13:00 Breakout Group A - Part I: Article 6.4 mechanism design issues (what role for baselines in ensuring environmental integrity?)    

Methodological approaches for setting baselines for the Article 6.4 mechanism are currently under discussions in Article 6 negotiations. These approaches can affect the impact of the Article 6.4 mechanism on mitigation, the attractiveness of participating in the mechanism, as well as inter alia the role of the mechanism in supporting Parties in meeting their NDCs. In this session, speakers and participants were invited to discuss the role for baselines in ensuring environmental integrity. 

Documents

Co-facilitators 

  • H.E. Kay Harrison, New Zealand
  • Mandy Rambharos, Eskom

Speakers

  • Luca Lo Re, CCXG/IEA
  • Felipe de León, Costa Rica
  • José Domingos Gonzalez Miguez, Brazil
  • Carolyn Luce, Solea Consulting

11:30 – 13:00 Breakout Group 1- Part I: Challenges and opportunities in developing LT-LEDS   

This session explored main challenges and opporutnities that countries may face when setting up and developing a LT-LEDS. Delegates and representatives were invited to share their experience in setting up a LT-LEDS process.

Documents

  • “Key questions guiding the process of setting up long-term low-emissions development strategies”, Rocha, M. and C. Falduto, (2019, draft)
  • “Low-Emission Development Strategies (LEDS)”, Clapp, C., G. Briner and K. Karousakis (2010)

Facilitator: Maria Paz Cigarán, Libelula (Peru)

Speakers

14:30 – 16:00 Breakout Group A - Part II: Article 6.4 mechanism design issues (benefits and implications of Article 6.4 design for host Parties)

The Article 6.4 mechanism will operate in a context that differs to that of the CDM. Unlike the Kyoto Protocol, all Parties under the Paris Agreement must account for the mitigation targets in their NDCs that they intend to achieve. This new context of the Paris Agreement presents certain benefits and implications to host Parties participating in the Article 6.4 mechanism including those related to their ability to achieve NDCs. This session outlined some of these benefits and discussed how Parties could manage some of the implications in order to achieve NDCs while hosting Article 6.4 activities. 

Documents

  • “Designing the Article 6.4 mechanism: assessing selected baseline approaches and their implications”, Lo Re, L., J. Ellis, M. Vaidyula, A. Prag (2019, draft)

Co-facilitators

  • H.E. Kay Harrison, New Zealand
  • Mandy Rambharos, Eskom

Speakers

14:30 – 16:00 Breakout Group 1 - Part II: LT-LEDS (Linking LT-LEDS and NDCs)

While NDCs look at the short- and mid-term, LT-LEDS set a long-term vision. Current experience indicates that the two processes are often misaligned but, given the many inter-dependencies in the planning of short-, mid- and long-term policies and targets, numerous benefits can be drawn from synchronising the two. For example, LT-LEDS can provide insightful inputs to the development of NDCs, and the latter may, in turn, be milestones to the implementation of LT-LEDS. This session allowed participants to engage in small group discussions, sharing insights and thoughts on how linkages between LT-LEDS and NDCs can be rendered most effective. 

Icebreakers 

  • G1: Maria Paz Cigarán, Libelula (Peru)
  • G2: Tony Ripley, United Kingdom
  • G3: Hanny Chrysolite, WRI Indonesia

16:30 – 18:00 Breakout Group A - Part III: Article 6.4 mechanism design issues (governance, approval and issuance procedures)

The Paris Agreement mandates that the Article 6.4 mechanism is to be supervised by a body designated by the CMA. However, the exact role and responsibilities of the Article 6.4 Supervisory Body – including in relation to baseline methodology development and approval - are not yet defined. The session discussed what aspects of baselines may need national and/or international supervision, and how this could be carried out, taking into consideration lessons learned from the Kyoto Protocol for inter alia baseline methodology development and approval.

Documents

  • “Designing the Article 6.4 mechanism: assessing selected baseline approaches and their implications”, Lo Re, L., J. Ellis, M. Vaidyula, A. Prag (2019, draft)

Facilitator: Kelley Kizzier, EDF

Speakers

16:30 – 18:00 Breakout Group 1 - Part III: LT-LEDS (Governance strategies and stakeholder engagement)

A whole-of-government approach to planning and designing LT-LEDS is important to establish a unified effort across the government and to maximize all available resources in a collaborative effort. In addition, strong a stakeholder engagement processes during the phase of design and engagement during the phase of implementation of the LT-LEDS are important to build an inclusive shared-vision in the society. This session allowed participants to engage in small group discussions, sharing insights and thoughts on governance strategies and stakeholder engagement throughout the LT-LEDS process. 

Icebreakers

  • G1: Deborah Ramapole, South Africa
  • G2: Hanny Chrysolite, WRI Indonesia
  • G3: Tony Ripley, United Kingdom
  • G4: Maria Paz Cigarán, Libelula (Peru)

 

Day 2: Wednesday 2 October, 2019 

 09:00-10:30 Breakout Group B - Part I: Article 6 - Accounting and environmental integrity (application of corresponding adjustments)

Parties are currently considering if and how to apply “corresponding adjustments” against their accounted emissions for Article 6 transactions. This session focused specifically on issues related to what would be correspondingly adjusted (i.e. the basis of adjustments), and when (timing of adjustments). The session discussed options currently under consideration and the associated implications, including those related to environmental integrity. 

Documents

Co-facilitators 

  • Sophie Closson, Belgium
  • Sandra Greiner, Gambia

Speakers

09:00 - 10:30 Breakout Group 2 - Part I: Electricity sector opportunities for more ambitious NDCs

This introductory session brought first-hand country experiences on how mitigation action in the electricity sector can lead to more ambitious NDCs. Speakers and participants were invited to discuss the countries’ targets, plans and policies to decarbonise the power sector and how these can help enhance the ambition of their NDCs. Discussions on these topics continued in small groups in the Breakout Group 2 Part II. 

Organised in partnership with OLADE

Documents

Facilitator: Thomas Wilson, EPRI

Speakers

11:00-12:30 Breakout Group B - Part II: Article 6 - Accounting and environmental integrity (safeguards, limits and review)

Parties are discussing if and what safeguards and limits are needed to ensure environmental integrity of transactions under Article 6. A wide set of options are currently under discussion including possible limits on the carry-over of ITMOs from one NDC period to the next; limits on the use of ITMOs towards an NDC; and minimum holding requirements for ITMOs. At the same time, Parties are considering the role of a potential Article 6 technical expert review that could help Parties engaging in Article 6 transactions to ensure environmental integrity. Speakers were invited to present their views on the different options of safeguards and limits as well as on what could be the role of this potential review process.

Documents

Co-facilitators 

  • Sophie Closson, Belgium
  • Sandra Greiner, Gambia

Speakers

11:00-12:30 Breakout Group 2 - Part II: Electricity sector opportunities for more ambitious NDCs

During this session participants were invited to take part in small group discussions focused on how opportunities in the electricity sector can lead to more ambitious NDCs. This session allowed participants to share their country’s experience with setting targets, plans and policies to decarbonise the power sector and how these can help enhance the ambition of their NDCs. Each group opened with an icebreaker from an invited country speaker who then facilitated the discussion. 

Organised in partnership with OLADE

Documents

Icebreakers

  • G1: Thomas Wilson, EPRI
  • G2: Alfonso Blanco, OLADE
  • G3: Mandy Rambharos, Eskom
  • G4: Andrew Prag, IEA

14:00-15:00 Breakout Group B - Part III: Article 6 - Accounting and environmental integrity (inside/outside of NDC scope)

The possibility to generate, transfer, use and account for ITMOs that relate to emissions reductions generated from a sector or GHG not covered by the scope of NDCs is under discussion. The choice on whether to authorise the generation, transfer, use and accounting of ITMOs outside the NDCs scope could have implications on double counting of ITMOs and environmental integrity. This session discussed possible solutions.

Document

Facilitator: Anshari Rahman, Singapore

Speakers

14:00-15:00 Breakout Group 2 - Part III: Article 6 - Electricity sector opportunities for more ambitious NDCs

In this session all participants that participated in Breakout Group 2 Part I and Breakout Group Part II were invited to reconvene in Room 2 to share key outcomes of the discussion. The facilitator of each small discussion group of Breakout Group 2 – Part II presented three key takeaways from the group discussions; see top of the page for the summary presentations. 

Facilitator: Thomas Wison, EPRI

15:30-16:45 OECD and IEA information session

IEA: Mechthild Wörsdörfer, Director of Sustainability, Technology and Outlooks at the IEA presented an overview of IEA’s Clean Energy Transitions Programme (CETP). The CETP includes collaborative analytical work, technical cooperation, training and capacity building and strategic dialogues, particularly in major emerging economies.

OECD: Simon Buckle, Head of the Climate, Biodiversity and Water Division, presented the highlights from the recently-published “Accelerating Climate Action - Refocusing policies through a well‑being lens” report. 

Speakers

16:45-17:30 Plenary: Facilitators' key takeaways from breakout groups

The facilitators shared their three key takeaways from each breakout group discussion; see top of the page for the summary presentations

17:30-18:00 Closing Plenary: Closing remarks

Speakers

  • Helen Plume, CCCXG Chair

 

Further Reading