Events:
On Tuesday May 17, the CDL co-hosted a workshop on financing Loss and Damage with the German Development Institute and the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD). The event was held at the German Development Institute.
The workshop relates to some exciting research being conducted by the CDL including a number of undergraduate students who led the drafting of a report recently submitted to the UNFCCCC. Alex Durand, Tory Hoffmeister, Jon Gewirtzman and Sujay Natson were among a team of CDL students who led the drafting of the paper on how poor nations might be compensated for the impacts of climate change which cannot be prevented. The draft paper is available on the UN website, and will be revised and released in September by the DIE and the final version submitted to two UNFCCC committees. The workshop was used to revise the paper, which will be published by DIE in September before the Marrakesh negotiations. The paper “Financing Options for Loss and Damage: A Review and Roadmap” was jointly prepared by the CDL and the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD).
On Thursday May 19, Timmons Roberts and Guy Edwards presented their book A Fragmented Continent: Latin America and the global politics of climate change at the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE). The event was well attended and the book presentation was followed by a healthy discussion with Mexican lead negotiator to the UNFCCC, Alejandro Rivera, and DIE deputy director, Imme Scholz.
Collaborating with partners:
Tory assisted Saleemul Huq of Bangladesh’s International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) for the two weeks. She presented a briefing on financing for loss and damage to negotiators of over twenty of the Least Developed Countries group, mostly from Africa and Southern Asia. The work was the culmination of over a year of research by Tory and Alexis Durand for the LDC group on Loss and Damage.
Continuing with their work from the Paris conference, Sujay Natson and Jon Gewirtzman assisted the delegation from the Union of Concerned Scientists while in Bonn. They provided research support and reports from meetings regarding climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies such as carbon pricing and sustainable land use management.
Publications:
The CDL has published a number of articles about the latest events in climate change politics and policy to coincide with the negotiations.
Fit for Purpose: Negotiating the New Climate Finance Accounting Systems http://climatestrategies.org/publication/negotiating-the-new-climate-finance-accounting-systems/
Brookings Institution: A crucial handoff between United Nations climate chiefs
http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/planetpolicy/posts/2016/05/19-united-nations-climate-chiefs-edwards-roberts
Climate Home: Climate-related impacts are biting – but who will pay the bill?
http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/05/20/climate-related-impacts-are-biting-but-who-will-pay-the-bill/
Other recent publications include:
Climate Finance: Time to Know Who Gives What
Romain Weikmans and Timmons Roberts. CDL Blog, 18 May 2016.
http://www.climatedevlab.brown.edu/home/climate-finance-time-to-know-who-gives-what
Brexit could torpedo climate cooperation
Guy Edwards. Boston Globe, 10 May 2016.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2016/05/09/brexit-could-torpedo-climate-cooperation/jBMd7cTnPpsIWIMgf32nVO/story.html
Why Latin America Should Ratify the Paris Agreement
Guy Edwards and Monica Araya. Nivela, 9 May 9 2016.
http://www.nivela.org/articles/a-cleaner-and-more-resilient-latin-america-starts-with-ratifying-the-paris-agreement/en
Despite multiple crises, Brazil signs the Paris climate agreement
Alice Amorim and Guy Edwards. Nivela, 27 April 2016.
http://www.nivela.org/articles/despite-multiple-crises-brazil-signs-the-paris-climate-agreement/en
Spanish investors can capitalize on the low-carbon transition in Latin America
Guy Edwards and Lara Lázaro. Real Instituto Elcano, 25 April 2016.
http://www.realinstitutoelcano.org/wps/portal/web/rielcano_en/contenido?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/elcano/elcano_in/zonas_in/ari33-2016-edwards-lazarotouza-spanish-investors-can-capitalize-on-the-low-carbon-transition-in-latin-america
On Earth Day, bring together the dreamers and the plodders on climate change.
Timmons Roberts. Brookings Planet Policy. 21 April 2016.
http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/planetpolicy/posts/2016/04/21-earth-day-climate-change-roberts
Clinton v Sanders: Who can deliver the radical climate policy needed?
Timmons Roberts. Climate Home. 13 April 2016.
http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/04/13/clinton-v-sanders-who-can-get-radical-on-climate-change/
Diverging views: Sanders and Clinton on climate change.
Timmons Roberts. Climate Home. 12 April 2016.
http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/04/12/diverging-views-sanders-and-clinton-on-climate-change/
Three theories on the silence of the fossil fuel industry at the Paris climate summit.
Reuters Climate News. Timmons Roberts and Robert Brulle. 7 April 2016.
http://news.trust.org/item/20160407130923-g5wnv/?source=gep
The Environmental Movement Will Fail
Sohum Chokshi. Huffington Post. 4 April 2016.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sohum-chokshi/the-environmental-movemen_b_9559222.html