Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change Workshop Held in DC
10/29/99
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: Re: COP-5 of the FCCC and the Special Report on Land Use,
Land Use Change, and Forestry
Source: Global Forest Policy Project, Washington, D.C.
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: October 29, 1999
Byline: Anny Wong
gfppwong@igc.org
COP-5 began on October 25, 1999
The fifth Conference of Parties (COP-5) to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change is now underway in Bonn,
Germany, and will run through November 5.
On matters relating to forests and climate change...
1. An informal workshop on the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate
Change (IPCC)'s Special Report on Land Use, Land Use Change, and
Forestry (SR-LULUCF) was held on October 26, the second day of the
meeting. The lack of specific country data for both baselines and
Article 3.4 (on "additional activites") was noted. A research study
shows that an exploitation of potential new sinks by Annex 1
countries could actually allow them to have significant emission
increase.
2. On day 3, a contact group met on SR-LULUCF and Activities Jointly
Implemented (AIJ) met. A key issue was whether AIJ would be allowed
as Jointly Implement (JI) or Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
activities in the first commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol.
3. On day 4, NGOs met with Dr. Bob Watson, who is chair of the IPCC
and head of the World Bank's Environment Department. Watson announced
that the newly lauched Prototype Carbon Fund (PCF) of the World Bank
does not currently consider any CDM activities eligible for funding,
and that 75 percent of PCF funds will go toward renewables and less
than 10 percent is assigned to sinks work (only two projects now).
On another note, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
has plans to promote emissions trading. Its new Energy Operations
Policy will help central and east European countries to sell their
"hot air."
For those who wish to follow discussions in Bonn and obtain more
details on the above, please visit the following web sites:
1. www.unfcc.de Official web site of the Framework Convention, you
will find daily agendas for the meeting and other information.
National communications to the IPCC on "Mechanisms Pursuant to
Articles 6, 12 and 17 of the Kyoto Protocol" may also be found in a
report (FCCC/SB/1999/8) released on September 28, 1999. The report
gives insight into the preferences of various governments in the
actualization of the flexible mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol,
namely, joint implementation, clean development mechanism, and
emissions trading.
2. www.iisd.ca/linkages The Environment Negotiations Bulletin
provides daily coverage of events in Bonn, as well as a summary
report at the end of the meeting.
3. www.igc.org/climate.Eco.html ECO is a newsletter that has been
published by nongovernmental environmental organizations at major
international conferences since the Stockholm Environment Conference
in 1972. Coverage of the COP-5 is provided cooperatively by Climate
Action Network groups attending the meeting in Bonn.
Second Review of the SR-LULUCF draft, October 21 to December 3, 1999
For those of you interested in reviewing the second draft of the SR-
LULUCF, please contact me directly for information on access to the
IPCC web site for a digital copy of the document. You can reach me at
gfppwong@igc.org . The Global Forest Policy Project is serving as the
"focal group," or liaison, between the IPCC and NGOs that did not
participate in the first review (June 23 to July 23). We strongly
encourage your participation to broaden perspectives and input in
this review process.
The second review period began last week on October 21 and will run
through December 3. This will be the last opportunity for NGOs to
directly comment on this important document which will determine how
afforestation, reforestation, and deforestation (ARD) activities will
be treated under the Kyoto Protocol.