Competing interests to clash in Paris

PARIS – What’s at stake in the upcoming climate summit in this city that President Aquino cannot afford to miss it, despite heightened security threats in the aftermath of recent terror attacks?

For the Philippine delegates to the 12-day conference that will start tomorrow, Aquino will participate in what they believe is a “defining moment in history.”

The Philippines, after all, is a small country with a huge stake in climate negotiations, being the poster boy of the impact of natural disasters and extreme weather conditions.

Parties pushing for a binding climate deal believe that the summit will determine whether those in vulnerable areas, including the Philippines, will survive natural hazards that will be more frequent and intense.

“This is a defining moment in our history because this agreement will essentially define the fate of humanity and our planet,” Emmanuel de Guzman, the Philippines’ chief negotiator to the climate talks, said in a recent interview.

“Are we allowing our planet to be really warm? Some nations are thinking about migrating to other lands. This is a basic human issue. It’s about survival,” he added.

The President will talk about the impact of disasters on the Philippines in a three-minute speech before the Climate Vulnerable Forum, a bloc composed of 43 countries affected by climate change.

Aquino is expected to ask world leaders to support a climate agreement that will help vulnerable countries improve their mitigation and adaptation capabilities.

“We are an important player here in these climate talks. In fact, we are considered the face of climate vulnerability,” De Guzman said.

About 50 Philippine negotiators will attend the 21st Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21), which aims to craft a universal binding agreement to limit temperature increase to below two degrees Celsius.

Advocates of climate action, however, admit that such objective is easier said than done.

Some parties doubt the supposed link between emissions caused by human activities and changes in the climate. They are concerned about the effects of a binding climate deal on economies and industries heavily dependent on fossil fuels such as coal.

There are differences among those who are open to an agreement, particularly on who should finance climate adaptation and mitigation projects. While developing countries, such as the Philippines, want major polluters to shoulder the costs, other parties believe there should be no difference in terms of responsibilities.

“My expectation is we will have longer nights and longer days. Maybe we won’t get any sleep at all because of several contact groups’ meetings, negotiations and even up to the ministerial level,” Climate Change Commission Assistant Secretary Joyceline Goco told reporters recently.

“Our draft negotiating text or draft agreement is full of brackets. That means brackets and language that will have to be negotiated during the COP21. The negotiations in Paris won’t be easy,” she added.

The draft Paris climate agreement called for financial flows that promote transformation to low-emission and climate-resilient societies and economies. It also provided for technology transfer and capacity-building to support mitigation and adaptation efforts.

The draft highlighted the importance of loss and damage, which could require polluters to address the negative and irreversible impact of climate change on developing countries.

It remains uncertain though if these provisions will be approved by all parties during the COP21, which will be a battleground of competing interests.

Despite the different issues and long debates, Philippine negotiators remain optimistic that a climate agreement will finally be forged in COP 21.

“Failure of this process is not an option. We must succeed if we really are to serve humanity and save the planet,” De Guzman said.