Climate negotiations in a lull
‘Loss and damage’ proposal highlights global talks in Egypt
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt — Public negotiations in U.N. climate talks hit a lull Friday afternoon into the evening, as news conferences and plenaries were postponed or canceled. Diplomats said they hoped for late night progress as they changed airline reservations for talks going into extended overtime in Egypt.
Delegates said there was some headway being made, especially on the most difficult sticking point. That’s the issue of “loss and damage,” which is the idea of some kind of compensation — a dedicated fund or something less formal — from rich nations to help out poor nations already hit hard by extreme climate events worsened by decades of burning of fossil fuels by developed nations.
“I think we’re in for a bit of a long haul,” World Resources Institute international climate director David Waskow said. “Loss and damage sits at the center in terms of what needs to be done to get this over the finish line.”
After being a tad isolated in not favoring a dedicated loss and damage fund, there is talk of the United States working on yet another proposal with the European Union, which produced an offer Thursday, Waskow said. He also noted that one issue is the surprising unity of poorer nations, often called G-77 and China, on the issue, insisting on a fund being established at this summit.
Nakeeyat Dramani Sam of Ghana chided delegates at this year’s U.N. climate talks, saying they would act faster to rein in global warming if they were her age.
“It is an emergency,” the 10-year-old told negotiators, holding a sign that read “Payment Overdue.” “If all of you were to be young people like me, wouldn’t you have already agreed to do what is needed to save our planet?”
But after her standing ovation, it was back to nations squabbling over several thorny issues, with the Egyptian presidency acknowledging that the talks will go into overtime today, if not longer.
Nations are split over a few competing options on loss and damage. Pakistan’s climate minister, Sherry Rehman, told her fellow negotiators that two of the proposed options that don’t immediately provide a fund “are not tenable” for the 77 poorest nations and China.
A new draft cover decision from the Egyptian presidency came out Friday morning, half the size of Thursday’s 20-page document that was criticized for being vague and bloated. But this new 10-page one still has little new compared to previous years and plenty of places with yet-to-be-decided options. And some of the most talked about proposals, from the European Union, Barbados and India aren’t in it, reflecting the Egyptian presidency’s priorities.
The EU made a surprise proposal late Thursday that called for the creation of a fund for “loss and damage” payments to the most vulnerable nations, an idea long resisted by some rich countries in Europe and the United States. But it would also require emerging economies such as China, the second biggest polluter after the U.S., to contribute and ties any deal to tougher emissions cuts.
EU climate chief Frans Timmermans said Friday that the bloc’s proposal on funding for loss and damage and mitigation is “a final offer” that seeks to “find a compromise” between countries as negotiators work out a way forward at the United Nations climate talks in Egypt.
China, which had been quiet during much of the talks, and Saudi Arabia both said the money for a loss and damage fund shouldn’t come from them. Developed countries should foot the bill, China said. Both also insisted that the 2015 Paris Agreement that aims to limit global warming to an ambitious 2.7 Fahrenheit increase should not be altered, which can be interpreted as not strengthening efforts.