Competing interests to clash in Paris climate meet

PARIS – So what’s at stake at the upcoming climate talks in this city that President Benigno Aquino III cannot afford to miss despite the security concerns spawned by recent terrorist attacks?

For the Philippine delegates to the 12-day conference that will start on Monday, 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 the 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 conference will determine whether those in vulnerable areas, including the Philippines, will survive natural hazards that will be more frequent and intense.

“This is really the defining moment in our history because this agreement would essentially define the fate of humanity and our planet, our home 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? And many islands going under water? Some nations are already thinking about migrating to other lands. This is a very basic human issue. It’s about survival,” he added.

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

“We are important player here in this 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 (COP 21), which aims to craft a universal binding agreement to limit temperature increase to below two degrees.

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 also concerned about the effects of a binding climate deal on economies and industries heavily dependent on fossil fuels like coal.

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

“My expectation is we will have very long nights and very long days. Maybe 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 in a recent press briefing in Malacañang.

“Currently, our draft negotiating text or draft agreement is full of brackets. That means brackets and languages that will have to be negotiated during the Conference of Parties. The negotiation 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 also 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 conference, which will surely be a battleground of competing interests.

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

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