International Institute for Sustainable Development - Reporting Services (IISD RS) @ Vienna Climate Change Talks 2007 - AWG 4 and the Dialogue 4; Vienna, Austria; Highlights from Monday, 27 August 2007


Daily Web	HTML	PDF
Curtain Raiser
Mon 27
Tues 28
Wed 29
Thu 30
Fri 31 & Summary

Vienna Climate Change Talks 2007
AWG 4 and the Dialogue 4

27-31 August 2007 | Vienna, Austria

Highlights from Monday, 27 August 2007

The fourth session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC (AWG 4) and the fourth workshop under the "Dialogue on long-term cooperative action to address climate change by enhancing implementation of the Convention" (Convention Dialogue) opened in Vienna, Austria on Monday morning with a welcoming ceremony and speeches. These were followed by the opening session of the AWG. In the afternoon, the Convention Dialogue convened.

Welcoming Ceremony

Yvo de Boer, UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Josef Pröll, Federal Minister for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management, and Monyane Moleleki, Minister of Natural Resources, Lesotho

Madalena Brito Neves, Minister of Agriculture and Environment, Cape Verde (left), emphasized small island developing states' vulnerability to climate change, outlined adaptation and mitigation activities in Cape Verde, and underscored the need for international cooperation.

Josef Pröll, Minister for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management, Austria (right), emphasized that climate change is already a ?harsh reality? and that negotiations on a post-2012 climate agreement should be launched in 2007. He indicated that the EU is prepared to reduce emissions by 30% by 2020 provided that other industrialized countries take commitments and economically advanced developing countries contribute adequately.

Monyane M. Moleleki, Minister of Natural Resources, Lesotho (right), emphasized the need to continue the dialogue on climate change with negotiations and indicated that while African countries need support, they also have responsibilities concerning climate change.

Yvo de Boer, UNFCCC Executive Secretary, highlighted recent and upcoming meetings in and outside the UNFCCC, showing that momentum is building for COP 13 in December.

Ad Hoc Working Group

AWG Chair Leon Charles, Grenada, opened AWG 4 and stressed the need for a "strong robust outcome" to send a signal from Annex I parties to reduce emissions and warned that failure to do so would discourage others from participating. Indonesia called for real progress on the analysis of mitigation potential and ranges of emission reductions. She also outlined plans for COP 13, including parallel meetings of finance and trade ministers.

Henning Wuester, UNFCCC Secretariat (left), introduced a technical paper synthesizing information relevant to the determination of mitigation potential and identification of possible ranges of emission reduction objectives of Annex I parties.

Jamil Ahmed, Pakistan, on behalf of the G-77/China (left) , stressed the unique vulnerability of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), the African region, and small island developing states (SIDS). Jose Romero, Switzerland, for the Environmental Integrity Group (right), recalled recent findings by the IPCC and called for strengthened mitigation and adaptation efforts, taking into account the circumstances of SIDS.

Climate Action Network (left), called for an agreement on a Bali Mandate by the end of 2009 and a halt in the rise of emissions by 2015. Artur Runge-Metzger, EU (right), emphasized that the paper confirms the urgency and scale of the necessary mitigation efforts, and illustrates that mitigation is technically and economically feasible.

Linus Spencer Thomas, Grenada, speaking on behalf of AOSIS (left), said the avoidance of climate change impacts in SIDS must be a benchmark for the post-2010 agreement. Alf Wills, South Africa (right), highlighted inconsistencies in the technical paper, including the use of a number of different base years.

Dialogue

Dialogue Co-Facilitators Sandea De Wet, South Africa, and Howard Bamsey, Australia, and Halldor Thorgiessen, UNFCCC Secretariat

Harlan Watson, US (left), outlined President Bush's major economies initiative that would lead to an agreement by major economies on a new framework by 2008 and contribute to global agreement under the UNFCCC in 2009. Portugal, speaking for the EU (right), called for a "shared vision" to reach the UNFCCC's ultimate objective, and for deeper emission reduction commitments by all developed countries and "further, fair and effective" contributions by developing countries.

Balgis Osman Elasha, Sudan (left), called for greater cooperation between developed and developing countries. Kevin Conrad, Papua New Guinea (right), said the focus should be on mobilizing resources, identified market instruments as the most viable tool and said new ones should be created.

Press Briefings