Jennifer Morgan, WRI, introduced the panel on measuring and tracking climate policies, with a focus on WRI initiatives and working papers on tracking national policy progress. Moderator Morgan stressed that policy-tracking efforts serve a two-fold purpose, first to identify and share lessons learned to encourage governments to “go further faster,” and second to ensure transparency.

Taryn Fransen, WRI, described WRI’s Open Climate Network’s (OCN) work on tracking national climate policy progress, listing its focal areas: finance assessments; clean energy economy; and policy assessments. She highlighted the release of three country working papers in the policy assessment module, noting others would follow. Fransen noted the working papers are not intended to compare national efforts but to bring transparency on countries’ actions and understand the implications of, and barriers to, policies for emissions reductions.

Yamide Dagnet, WRI, presented on the Measurement and Performance Tracking in Developing Countries (MAPT) project, focused on enhancing national capacity to measure emissions and emissions reductions, quantify the effects of climate change policies and help track performance towards climate and energy goals. She outlined several components of MAPT, including work on: national inventories; institutional arrangements; accounting of mitigation actions and policies; and industry capacities to measure and report on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Focusing on the US as a case study, Nicholas Bianco, WRI, presented on policy tracking efforts and trends and projections for GHG emissions in the US. He noted that a forthcoming WRI publication, currently under peer review, would present a more detailed analysis of areas where, even if Congress does not develop new legislation, existing executive office administrative authorities might offer opportunities for policy change. He detailed the reduction in CO2 emissions from energy sources in the US, but noted increases in non-CO2, non-energy based emissions. Lauding new initiatives in the transportation sector, he stressed the need for a similar level of ambition in other sectors, particularly the power sector.

During discussions, participants and panelists considered the challenges of assessing the indirect emissions impacts of policies, and interactions between different national policies and actions, including the effects of increased US coal exports on coal consumption and emissions in other countries. They also discussed: accounting protocols for policies, including for land use, land use change and forestry; findings about co-benefits of climate and development policies by MAPT and OCN; and details on, and challenges in, assessing policy frameworks for emissions associated with agriculture.

Naif Alabbadi, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Saudi Arabia, chaired the session. He presented on the necessity of, and potential for, energy efficiency in Saudi Arabia. Comparing the country’s energy use to other parts of the world, he noted that Saudi Arabia consumed more than many, but not as much as other countries. He said the Saudi Energy Efficiency Centre was set up in 2010 to coordinate and complement national energy efficiency activities, and achieve world energy intensity standards by 2020.

Soleiman Al-Rifai, Dubai Carbon Centre (DCC), United Arab Emirates, addressed energy efficiency approaches in the industrial sector, related to public awareness and technology. He described several DCC initiatives and emphasized the need to ensure that energy efficiency efforts are economically viable. Given that a high proportion of emissions are from the electricity sector in the United Arab Emirates, he said energy efficiency is the most cost effective way to cut consumption and address climate change.

Boon Ooi, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia, presented on solid-state lighting technology and its potential impacts on climate change. He said solid-state lighting, which uses light-emitting diodes, brings substantial energy saving benefits and could help reduce the amount of primary fuel used for electricity generation in Saudi Arabia.

Ali Al-Qahtani, Saudi Aramco, presented on Saudi Aramco’s energy management programme, which he said has been a key corporate objective since 2000, and has three goals to: improve energy efficiency by 2% every year; design energy efficient facilities for the company; and support national level energy efficiency. He described several accomplishments of the programme, which he said has moved from planning to execution to engaging and advancing.

Bandar Al-Qahtani, Saudi Aramco, presented on the Saudi Aramco co-generation programme. He described co-generation as a simultaneous generation of electricity and thermal energy from the same power plant, resulting in multiple benefits including: a reliable source of energy production; reduced waste; reduced air pollution and CO2 emissions; and in cases where excess energy is generated, additional energy for the national grid. He said co-generation could play an important role in meeting energy needs and reducing the environmental impacts of power generation.

Abdullah Al-Ghatani, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), spoke on energy efficiency at SABIC, the world’s second largest diversified chemical company. He described the sustainability target of SABIC, which employs a life-cycle approach to reduce environmental impact, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste of chemicals and water.

In the discussion that followed, participants discussed means of promoting energy efficiency solutions in the GCC region.

Moderator Thierry Berthoud, WBCSD, introduced this session saying it would discuss practical action, in particular bottom-up approaches to carbon markets.

Derik Broekhoff, Climate Action Reserve, presented the California carbon market, noting the expectation that the emergence of smaller bottom-up carbon markets around the world will support the development of an international carbon market. He stressed that California is not interested in “going it alone,” noting negotiations on a regional scheme with other western US states and Canadian provinces. He said the scheme will serve as a model that could influence federal policy in the US and Canada and influence other states to join.

Matthew Paterson, New Zealand, introduced the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), saying it is the primary means for New Zealand to meet its obligations under the Kyoto Protocol. He noted the New Zealand ETS is very open to the international system in order to achieve least-cost abatement. He highlighted regional and bilateral discussions to explore linking, particularly with Australia and the Republic of Korea, listing unit tracking, environmental integrity, level of ambition and price caps as issues to be considered when linking schemes.

Xueman Wang, World Bank, highlighted that there are seven ETS pilot projects underway in China aimed at creating a national carbon market by 2016-2017. She noted challenges including: China’s rapid growth rate; lack of information and data on emissions; how to define the roles and competencies of the federal and provincial governments; and lack of regulations. She said linking with other markets is still far from being relevant for China, but noted “very constructive” discussions on these issues in the region.

Andreas Klugeschied, BMW, applauded all countries and regions taking leadership in carbon markets, saying an international ETS was desirable, but unlikely in the near future. He said BMW is in favor of integrating transportation fuels into ETS.

Giles Dickson, Alstom, said Alstom would embrace a global carbon market, but now prefers a market that starts bottom-up and links to an international system. He said the prospect of linkages is driving countries to coordinate their schemes more than they otherwise would.

David Hone, Shell, highlighted a WBCSD publication “Establishing a Global Carbon Market,” emphasizing that an absolute target is required for linking systems.

During discussions, participants considered: the prospects for a US cap-and-trade scheme; the landscape of Chinese carbon markets; and the challenge of different offset schemes.

This event, moderated by Stefan Schurig, WFC, explored the future for Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariffs (REFiTs) in Africa and the Middle East. Panelists and participants discussed REFiT policies in Africa, as well as the challenges faced by countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in transitioning to REFiTs.

Jennifer Morgan, WRI, noted that in Germany FiT programmes were developed in a decentralized manner, thus creating bottom-up economic growth. Stressing that FiTs are the centerpiece of smart renewable energy (RE) policy, she said they should reduce the burden on the poor and have significant input from civil society to succeed in the developing world.

Ansgar Kiene, WFC Africa Office, presented a study “Powering Africa Through FiT Policies.” Highlighting that FiTs have been successful in over 60 countries, he outlined the diversity of economies on the continent: South Africa is under great external pressure to reduce carbon emissions; Mauritius is a small island developing state almost entirely dependent on RE; Tanzania has low rural electrification levels; and Egypt has 99% electrification.

Presenting the findings and recommendations of the study, Joseph Nganga, Renewable Energy Ventures, Kenya, described some of the lessons learned, including the need for: high level political support for these policies; broad stakeholder engagement; incorporation of REFiT policies into national development agendas; and creation of an enabling environment for them to be successful.

Riyad Hodali, Palestinian Solar and Sustainable Energy Society, highlighted the economic disparities between oil-rich and non-oil rich countries, noting that fossil fuel subsidies in the oil-rich Gulf are a disincentive to transitioning to RE. He said Palestine, Morocco and Tunisia have a higher potential of moving towards RE, and called for a sound policy framework and well-targeted support mechanisms to encourage this transition.

During discussions, participants considered: benefits of REFiTs at the local level; possible disadvantages of FiTs for the developing world; the need to create a level playing field for RE relative to fossil fuels; the cost of implementing FiTs in oil-producing countries; the global RE share in 2050; and how to create political will in order to support REFiT policies in Africa and the Middle East.

Alyssa Johl, CIEL, moderated this panel, which addressed the links between climate change and human rights, considered case studies from climate change-affected regions and explored ways to further the recognition of human rights in the climate regime.

Maria Tiimon Chi-Fang, Pacific Calling Partnership, spoke of climate change as a threat to the rights of the people of Kiribati, noting that for developed countries, climate change is a question of economics and markets, while for the people of Kiribati, it is about human rights and the loss of land, islands, culture and identity.

Maina Talia, Climate Action Network (CAN), spoke on climate change and human rights in Tuvalu, underscoring that “Tuvaluans never want to be labeled climate refugees.” He stressed that land is integral to the identity of his people, and asked how Tuvaluans would maintain their culture, language and identities if forced to live in another nation.

Kimaren Ole Riamit, Indigenous Livelihoods Enhancement Partners (ILEP), discussed how to advance human rights in the climate change framework, specifically within REDD+. Outlining risks under REDD+ to the human rights of indigenous peoples, including the loss of traditional territories and the discounting of non-carbon functions and values of forests, he stressed the need to link REDD+ finance to safeguards, allow community monitoring of safeguards and develop a robust grievance and complaint mechanism under the UNFCCC.

Mahesh Pandya, Paryavaran Mitra, presented on the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and human rights, offering experiences from India, particularly the Gujarat region. Calling the CDM a “green, clean cheat,” he said the CDM creates incentives for polluters to continue to pollute, and that the carbon credit scheme threatens human rights. He offered examples of CDM projects that have had adverse effects on communities, including loss and damages associated with a solar park.

Sébastien Duyck, University of Lapland, outlined efforts to include human rights language and concepts in the UNFCCC negotiations and identified opportunities to further this work. He highlighted the need to: recognize and highlight the connection between human rights and climate change in the UNFCCC text; implement stronger channels of public participation in climate negotiations; and provide communities with effective mechanisms to transmit their concerns to international bodies, like the CDM Executive Board.

During discussions, participants considered: the Many Strong Voices initiative, linking communities in the Arctic and small island developing states; the disconnect between state-level negotiations and sub-national treatment of issues related to indigenous peoples; common but differentiated responsibilities within, as well as across, states; safeguards in carbon markets, offsets and trading; and efforts to reform the CDM.

Chair of the AFB, Luis Santos, started the meeting with two important announcements. First, he said the AFB decided to make an exception and allow the UNFCCC Secretariat to purchase credits to offset emissions generated by UNFCCC meetings. Second, he said the AFB had partnered with the UN Foundation to allow the collection of donations for the Adaptation Fund. Santos said the Fund faced critical resource difficulties due to the current low price of offsets.

Sven Harmeling, Germanwatch, introduced the Adaptation Fund NGO Network and said his organization is working on a review of seven Adaptation Fund projects as case studies, assessing: collaboration between implementing agencies and stakeholders; modalities for funding access; stakeholder awareness; engagement of vulnerable communities; achievements and challenges; and lessons and conclusions.

Emmanuel Seck, Environnement et développement du tiers monde (ENDA TM), said Senegal is one of the first countries to establish a National Implementing Entity (NIE), and noted benefits from direct access to funding for a coastal erosion project. Among the achievements he listed: building of coastal protection infrastructure; rehabilitating an anti-salt dike to halt salinization; and establishing a national steering committee and a network of coastal stakeholders.

Isaac Ferrera, Fundación Vida, presented on an Adaptation Fund project to increase resilience to climate change water-related risks among vulnerable populations in Honduras. He said a key challenge is to maintain and increase the coordination and participation at the national and local levels.

Bettina Koelle, Indigo development and change, said the NIE for South Africa, South Africa National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), held an early consultation with stakeholders, where it was decided the process must be transparent, sustainable and accountable, and with partnerships promoted at all stages. She emphasized the catalytic role of the Adaptation Fund to help national processes on their way.

Krystel Dossou, Organisation des femmes pour la gestion de l’energie, de l’environnement et la promotion du développement intégré (OFEDI), described a fisheries-related project that Benin is preparing to submit to the Fund in consultation with the fishing communities and local governments, following clearance on the concept note.

Harmeling listed recommendations based on the review of projects, including: involvement of local stakeholders and vulnerable groups; inter-institutional and multi-stakeholder collaboration; transparency; and ownership. He said direct access posed no impediment to local communities accessing funds.

In the discussion that followed, participants considered monitoring and evaluation of projects; modalities to access funds; and the modalities of direct access.

Moderated by Michael Williams, WMO, this event featured three keynote addresses, a panel discussion and an open discussion, and explored the new partnerships created by the establishment of the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) in the agriculture, health, disaster risk reduction and food security sectors.

Michel Jarraud, Secretary-General, WMO, described the history of the GFCS, and informed participants of the launch of the Implementation Plan and Work Plan for the Framework. Stressing that the Framework is user-oriented, he outlined its components, including: observation and monitoring; information systems; a user interface platform; and capacity building.

Arvind Gadgil, Ministry for International Development, Norway, underscored the need to connect theory to practice. He noted that global inequality is increasing, and stressed the need to close equity gaps, as they represent a knowledge gap between the rich and the poor. He called on donors to contribute to the Framework.

Diarmid Campbell-Lendruma, WHO, lauded the GFCS as the basis for building a strong climate-health partnership. He explained the GFCS supports the health sector by providing: spatial mapping services; early warning systems for hazardous weather and disease outbreak; and long-term adaptation planning. He also noted the need for assistance in health surveillance, particularly regarding the transmission of dengue fever.

In the panel discussion, Peter Dogse, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (UNESCO-IOC), highlighted that the success of the framework depends on its ability to reach out to vulnerable groups, including women. Luna Abu-Swaireh, UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), said communities require early warning systems for disaster preparedness, noting these depend on reliable meteorological and vulnerability data.

Reuben Sessa, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), highlighted that the regions most vulnerable to climate change are also facing population growth and food insecurity. Gernot Laganda, International Fund for Agriculture and Development (IFAD), highlighted that despite a number of regional multi-hazard early warning systems, lack of national capacity to understand and communicate the data to those affected still results in loss of lives. Richard Choularton, World Food Programme (WFP), noted the overlap of regional climate outlook forums and the regional food security outlook forums in East Africa, which has allowed food security experts to develop maps highlighting regional vulnerabilities.

During discussions, participants reflected on: the importance of the capacity building arm of the GFCS, particularly focusing on elements of climate learning; whether climate- and weather-control are within the scope of the GFCS platform; the expansion of the climate-related fields to incorporate indigenous knowledge; and GFCS links to national adaptation processes.

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>.