Moderated by Robert Dixon, GEF, this event provided an opportunity for participants to hear from the GEF’s new leadership on the Facility’s vision and strategy, and to engage on issues concerning this vision. Dixon introduced the GEF’s new CEO, highlighting her experience in the Japanese Ministry of Finance, the World Bank and Harvard University.

Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson, GEF, lauded the GEF as having “delivered on the ground,” but said that a business as usual scenario is unacceptable as the organization moves forward, stressing the need for transformational change. She called for the incorporation of natural capital valuation in development planning processes, noting that the core goal of the GEF is to protect the global commons.

She informed participants of the organization’s long-term strategic exercise, known as GEF 2020. She explained the exercise was to explore the role of the GEF in protecting the global commons, and said that this would require answering “uncomfortable questions” regarding the reasons the world is in its current state.

She said that the GEF’s role is to be: protector of the global commons; promoter of innovation beyond technology; “partner of choice” in formulating constructive, trusting relationships to catalyze the exchange of knowledge and expertise; and catalyzer for the development of environmental financial architecture, by maximizing complementarity between existing funds and new sources of finance.

On partnerships, Ishii offered examples of successes in GEF activities, including work on integrated water management in the Danube River basin and a conservation trust fund for rainforest protection in the Brazilian Amazon. She emphasized the need to link political leadership with technical expertise.
In the ensuing discussion, one participant underscored country willingness to take ownership and demonstrate leadership, but asked for advice on how to take the next steps towards transformational change. Participants also considered the role natural capital accounting can play in bringing environmental concerns into economic decision-making and the GEF’s ability to convene multiple stakeholders.

Participants further: called on the GEF to be an umbrella for global sustainable development; highlighted the need for national-level coordination of GEF focal points and implementing agencies; and explored the role of the GEF in capacity building of beneficiaries, both at the project development and the implementation phases.

Bandar Al-Qahtani, Saudi Aramco, moderated this panel, which focused on demonstrating and presenting energy technologies in Arab and Gulf countries.

Mohammed Al-Juaied, Saudi Aramco, discussed post-combustion CO2 capture from mobile sources, presenting the development and prototype of the Saudi Aramco Carbon Capture System (SCCS). He outlined the system design, detailing the energy recovery, capture system, and densification and storage components. Noting that the goal of mobile carbon management research is to develop socially-responsible and environmentally-sound approaches to carbon management, he added that it aims to meet possible future emissions regulations. Al-Juaied explained that focusing on post-combustion carbon would provide the ability to integrate carbon capture and storage (CCS) into existing car designs without changes to engine or fuel systems, and to use the waste heat from internal combustion engines as energy.

Esam Al-Sayid, Saudi Aramco, introduced electron beam flue gas treatment (EBFGT) technology as a process for simple, cost-effective treatment of sulfur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Noting these pollutants are widespread, particularly from industrial and mobile sources, he explained conventional processes for their treatment are complex and expensive, and some require large quantities of fresh water or produce large quantities of wastewater. Describing EBFGT technology, he highlighted its advantages, including that it produces useful fertilizers as byproducts, simultaneously removes SOx and NOx, and is cost-competitive with conventional technologies.

Presenting on the National Science, Technology and Innovation Plan (NSTIP) in Saudi Arabia, Abdullah Alkhaled, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Saudi Arabia, noted this contributed to his country’s efforts to move towards a knowledge-based economy. Explaining the NSTIP coordinates the objectives and activities of the Science and Technology National Policy (STNP), he introduced the goals, principles, activities and framework of NSTIP. Noting it focuses on 15 areas of technology, he said water technologies rank as the first priority. Among the achievements of NSTIP, he listed the submission of 3045 research proposals and the funding of 1048 of these.

In discussions, participants asked questions on: domestic and international public awareness efforts on these initiatives and technologies; the effects of SCCS on engine performance; collaborations between KACST and Saudi Aramco; and KACST’s work on academic publications.

Moderated by Taha Al-Zatari, Clean Development Mechanism Designated National Authority (CDM-DNA), Saudi Arabia, this session discussed efforts to apply ecosystem-based approaches to adaptation (EBA) in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden region. Abdul-Majeid Haddad, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Regional Office for West Asia (ROWA), defined EBA and highlighted cooperation between UNEP and actors in the PERSGA region on EBA.

Maher Abdel Aziz, PERSGA, highlighted the Protocol Concerning the Conservation of Biological Diversity and the Establishment of a Network of Protected Areas in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which resulted in the establishment of 12 marine protected areas (MPAs). He said the objective of the regional MPAs network is to: build capacity; conduct research and monitoring programmes; develop pilot projects; and implement regional frameworks for MPAs.

Abdul-Basit Al-Sairafi, Presidency of Meteorology and Environment, Saudi Arabia, presented the Saudi Arabian results from the study “Increasing Adaptive Capacities to Climate Change in the Arab Countries.” He highlighted the utility of vulnerability mapping to determine the sectors most vulnerable to climate change impacts in Saudi Arabia.

Sumaya Zakieldin, University of Khartoum, Sudan, presented on findings of Sudan’s Second National Communication on coastal zone vulnerability adaptation. She highlighted the goals of the Sudanese framework for climate adaptation, including: building adaptive capacity; increasing ecosystem resilience; and mobilizing and managing knowledge for policy and planning.

Gamal Al-Harrani, Ministry of Environment, Yemen, described the coastal ecosystems of Yemen, identifying types of habitat and biota, and noting they contribute to food security, poverty alleviation and human security. He outlined that temperature increases due to climate change will cause coral bleaching, fish mortality, fish diseases and eutrophication.

Sabir Mahmoud Osman, Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs, Egypt, highlighted efforts in Egypt to address coastal vulnerability, emphasizing the need to understand what makes ecosystems resilient, work with communities and ensure local stewardship to enhance livelihoods and ecosystem management.

Moderator Al-Zatari said PERSGA planning options include: integrated management planning; education and awareness; sustainable utilization of marine resources; MPAs; control of sea- and land-based pollution; and support for EBA research. He said the strategy for adaptation includes: assessment and monitoring; capacity building; a regional climate change observation system; EBA; and the mobilization of funds for adaptation.

Ismail Elgizouli, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Vice-Chair, called for detailed studies of the region to introduce these issues into the IPCC’s work and noted the importance of increasing adaptive capacity and responding to sea-level rise. He emphasized proactive action to respond to extreme events, noting the need for robust early warning systems.

During discussions, participants considered capacity building, regional information sharing and ocean acidification.

Moderated by Barry Jones, Global CCS Institute, this event explored CCS on the global level, with panelists describing efforts to deploy CCS in the GCC.

Briefing participants on the global status of CCS and stressing that CCS is an important element in tackling climate change, Jones described his organization’s work. He noted that CCS is applicable to a wide range of industries, and said that certain sectors need to scale up their use of CCS technologies. Noting barriers to the realization of the benefits of CCS, including the time and economic costs of storage site selections, he called on governments to enact regulation to enhance CCS deployment and lower costs.

Informing delegates that his country views CCS as a strategic technology for the region, Khalid Abuleif, Chief Negotiator for Climate Agreements, Saudi Arabia, highlighted a carbon management roadmap, focusing on stationary capture, mobile vehicles, enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and CCS in saline aquifers. He outlined key areas in which Saudi Arabia led the international community: the call for an IPCC report on CCS; the inclusion of CCS under the CDM; and work under the World Trade Organization’s Committee on Trade and Environment to include CCS as a technology in the safe trade of environmental goods.

Arafat Al Yafei, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), described his organization’s work on EOR using CO2, which incorporates CCS technologies. He detailed the region’s first CO2 injection project for oil extraction, which was rolled out in Abu Dhabi in 2009, and informed participants that based on the results of the pilot project, two more CO2 injection sites have been planned for 2015.

Frédéric Hague, CEO, Bellona Foundation, stressed that energy efficiency is crucial to combat climate change and poverty, noting that CCS, as well as solar, wind and biomass are vital technologies. Highlighting that CCS can be combined with other renewable energy sources to increase its effectiveness, he informed participants of a report by the International Energy Agency on biomass-CCS potential, which he said could reduce CO2 emissions by 3Gt per year by the year 2050.

Paul Fennell, Imperial College London, UK, made a technical presentation on the rationale and establishment of the Qatar Carbonates and Carbon Storage Research Centre. He explained it is a partnership between Imperial College London, Shell, Qatar Petroleum and the Qatar Science and Technology Park. Launched in 2012, he noted that one of the key objectives of the Centre is to educate Qatari PhD students to provide technology leadership in Qatar.

Ravi Prabhu, ICRAF, moderated the session on biofuels, which he explained aimed to remove the hype around biofuels and facilitate an evidence-based discussion of their potential.

Noting that many expect biofuels to provide affordable, sustainable energy while also feeding growing populations, lifting people out of poverty, reversing land degradation and securing ecosystem services, Prabhu raised the question of whether biofuels can deliver all these expectations. Highlighting the role of agriculture as a primary source of poverty reduction, he outlined opportunities provided by biofuels, and articulated challenges, including how to transform smallholder agriculture into successful agribusiness and mobilize significant investments.

Hugo Lucas, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), emphasized that any activity can be undertaken using good or bad practices, saying that biomass, when best practices are applied, has a huge potential for emissions reductions. He outlined key issues, including that biomass: has high mitigation potential; contributes to energy security; has diverse applications across sectors; presents small-scale business and local employment opportunities; and requires careful examination of the water-food-energy nexus.

Underscoring his view that biofuels are critical to fighting climate change and reducing emissions, Minister Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, Head of the Indonesian President’s Delivery Unit for Development Monitoring and Oversight, offered perspectives from Indonesia’s development of oil palm biofuels. He stated that for Indonesia to move forward on biofuels, the expansion of oil palm plantations must be on degraded land, plantation productivity must be improved and “clear, clean” maps must be developed.

Describing a partnership between his organization and local NGOs in providing bioenergy, Jason Funk, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), presented on implementing low-carbon rural development in villages in Southern India. He highlighted that biogas stoves can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 3 tonnes a year, and that by the end of 2012, the partnership will have delivered 58,000 biogas stoves to the region.

Reflecting on the presentations, Marja-Liisa Tapio-Biström, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), called on participants to clarify their definitions, pointing to the distinction between liquid biofuels and bioenergy from woody biomass, and noting the latter represented the largest proportion of bioenergy. Rodrigo Lima, Institute for International Trade Negotiations (ICONE), highlighted that taking advantage of the substantial room for bioenergy deployment requires considering different country capabilities and needs. Pointing to the focus on renewable energy in many developing countries’ nationally appropriate mitigation actions, he stressed that no single energy source is the solution, and noted that while Brazil’s sugarcane-based bioethanol is important, Brazil also promotes many other energy sources, including biodiesel.

Leading the discussion, Constance Neely, ICRAF, noted the biofuels debate raises the issue of trade-offs between efficiency and fairness especially concerning small- and large-scale farming operations. Participants discussed: the need to fulfill local energy needs first; challenges in scaling up projects; the place for private sector investment in biofuels, given the potential subsidies that the sector will attract; ecological restoration of ecosystems, including “degraded lands”; and the potential negative impacts of indirect land use change.

The Earth Negotiations Bulletin on the side (ENBOTS) © <enb@iisd.org> is a special publication of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) in cooperation with the State of Qatar. This issue has been written by Tallash Kantai, Kate Neville, Anna Schulz and Anju Sharma. The Digital Editor is Kate Harris. The Editor is Liz Willetts <liz@iisd.org>. The Director of IISD Reporting Services is Langston James “Kimo” Goree VI <kimo@iisd.org>. Support for the publication of ENBOTS at the Doha Climate Change Conference - November 2012 has been provided by the State of Qatar. The opinions expressed in ENBOTS are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of IISD and funders. Excerpts from ENBOTS may be used in non-commercial publications only with appropriate academic citation. For permission to use this material in commercial publications, contact the Director of IISD Reporting Services at <kimo@iisd.org>. Electronic versions of issues of ENBOTS from the Doha Climate Change Conference - November 2012 can be found on the Linkages website at http://enb.iisd.org/climate/cop18/enbots/. The ENBOTS Team at the Doha Climate Change Conference - November 2012 can be contacted by e-mail at <anna@iisd.org>.