53086 January 2010 . Number 1 COP 15 or Copenhagen Climate Change Summit MNSSD 115 Heads of State, and was widely reported as one of the largest high-level gatherings outside Introduction: We are pleased to send you the New York. Around 45,000 people applied for first MENA climate change newsletter: ―MENA accreditation. in a changing climate‖. This quarterly newsletter intends to provide readers with the The COP 15 meeting in Copenhagen ended latest on climate change in the region. We will with a 12-paragraph accord – Copenhagen collect and disseminate news on past and up- Accord (Accord). The dust has not yet settled coming events, news articles, papers and from the chaos in Copenhagen, as the Accord’s reports, and the latest on climate change related interpretation and implications are being projects and studies in our region. We need worked out. your help in order to do so. Please send Global Targets: Optimists had hoped that comments, suggestions, news, publication, etc. Copenhagen’s outcome would include a related to climate change in MENA to: quantitative global emissions reduction of 50 jholten@worldbank.org, percent by 2050, a clear timeframe for global dverner@worldbank.org. emissions to peak and a midterm emission reduction goal for the developed countries. COP 15 or the Copenhagen Climate Change Small island countries and least developed summit: The COP 15 stands for the 15th countries wanted to limit the temperature rise Conference of the Parties under the United to 1.5 degrees Celsius (1.5C) above Nations Framework Convention on Climate preindustrial levels, which would set the limit Change (UNFCCC). The COP is the highest for atmospheric CO2 at 350 parts per million. body of the UNFCCC and consists of However, all references to 1.5C were removed. environment ministers and other delegates who meet once a year to discuss developments in Mitigation by 2020: It was expected before the convention. During Dec. 7-18 environment Copenhagen that developed countries would ministers and officials met in Copenhagen for commit specific numbers for emissions the United Nations climate conference to draft a reductions to 2020. The problem had been to successor to the Kyoto protocol (the world's find a formula compatible with the legislative attempt to regulate CO2 emissions), which runs process. The US rejected the Kyoto top-down out in 2012. approach of allocating emission targets. Instead they advocated a ―pledge and review‖ process The COP 15 was a historic event because of the through which the target is set and updated on expectations of millions of people around the the basis of domestic action and legislation. world who hoped that it would mark the turning point in the fight against climate The Copenhagen Accord: The Copenhagen change. The COP 15 was the culmination of two Accord moves toward a pledge/review years of intensive negotiations under the approach. There is broad commitment by the UNFCCC and the Bali road map agreed at the developed countries to undertake economy- COP 13 in December 2007. The high-level wide emissions targets by 2020. However, no segment of COP 15 brought together around numbers are specified in the Accord; instead, The Accord leaves many operational details developed countries will submit the ―numbers‖ undefined—for example, what exactly is the and ―base year‖ to the UNFCCC Secretariat, by relationship between the COP, the High Level 31 January 2010, for compilation in an Panel and the Copenhagen Green Climate Fund information document. Since the numbers are (CGCF), how to operationalize the CGCF, and to be expressed in an Information document, who should manage the CGCF. It is expected questions would be raised as to their legal that those operational aspects would be status and how they would be reflected in an elaborated in the Long-term Cooperative international regime. Action (LCA) working group that will continue its work next year. The intention seems to be Under the Accord, developing countries will that in the short term financing would be submit their nationally appropriate mitigation channeled through the existing institutions; actions (NAMAs) to the UNFCCC Secretariat, beyond 2012, climate financing would then be by 31 January 2010. channeled through and managed by the CGCF. MENA in COP15: On December 11 the MENA Finance: Perhaps the main achievement of the side event was held in the Ministry of Foreign Copenhagen Accord is on finance. In the run- Affairs and Ulla Toernaes, Danish Minister for up to Copenhagen, the EU advocated prompt Development Cooperation was present at part start financing and euro 100 billion by 2010. of the WB day. The event was organized as a Important to note, the 100 billion includes debate about the implications of climate change public financing, carbon markets and private in the MENA region and moderated by John financing. Moreover how much money will go Vidal, from the Guardian newspaper. The panel to adaptation and to mitigation is also not clear. was composed of negotiators from Yemen and Finally which countries are eligible to access the Syria (as it was at a critical point in the fund also have to be worked out. In negotiations and although both Morocco and Copenhagen, the EU announced euro 2.4 billion Egypt had accepted to participate they could for prompt start, and the US pledged US$ 1.5 not leave the negotiations). It was a very billion annually. The final push came from interesting and informative debate and the Hillary Clinton in Copenhagen when the audience walked away with a sense of what the negotiation was deadlocked. She announced urgent issues are in the region and how climate that the US was prepared to work with other change and variability is already affecting the developed countries to mobilize US$100 billion countries and people’s lives and livelihood. The a year for climate financing (both adaptation MNA region prepared flyers and posters for and mitigation) by 2020, conditional upon a the event, which were very useful for deal from Copenhagen. promoting the Bank’s activities related to climate change in the region. Staff are welcome Institutional Arrangements for Finance: to use the material produced for any other Developing countries have argued that a new event they may be organizing or attending. fund should be established, which should Thanks are extended to the Climate Change operate under the guidance and authority of team and many others- and in particular to the Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC. Angela Hawkins and Sanne Tikjoeb for Many of the developing countries view that the assisting in preparing and making the MNA Breton wood system is controlled by donors brochure so appealing1. and thus any climate fund should be established under the UNFCCC to enable For more information on the COP15 meeting in developing countries to exercise more control Copenhagen visit en.COP15.dk. For more on and have direct access. Developed countries, on the other hand, prefer 1 existing institutions. The US openly stated that Please go to: http://intresources.worldbank.org/INTCLIMATECHANG the World Bank and other MDBs should be the E/Resources/MENA_CC_Brochure.pdf main institution for managing funding. January 2010 · Number 1 · 2 MENA’s involvement in COP15 contact Dorte cope with global warming and develop green Verner or Johanne Holten. technologies. Stern argued that Copenhagen was the moment Link to the Copenhagen Accord: to begin the transition to a low-carbon http://unfccc.int/files/meetings/cop_15/appli sustainable economy, which would be cleaner, cation/pdf/cop15_cph_auv.pdf quieter and more secure. The business-as-usual scenario creates a 50 percent chance of a 5C Copenhagen Key to Climate Investment: The temperature rise by the next century. Copenhagen Key To Climate Investment was held on December 3-4 in Copenhagen and hosted by Figures released by UNEP in June showed that ATP (the Danish Labor Market Supplementary in 2008, clean technologies attracted US$140 Pension Fund) and the Danish Climate Change billion of investments compared with US$110 Consortium. The event witnessed prominent billion for gas and coal for electrical power speakers such as Lord Stern, LSE; the past and generation. However, it looks now as current Danish Ministers of Climate Change investment has fallen significantly in 2009, with and Energy, very large pension funds and other green technologies suffering leaders from the private sector. For a detailed disproportionately. program check the The Copenhagen Key To Climate Investment website: Please contact Dorte Verner for more www.copenhagenkey.dk. Vital business information on the Copenhagen Key to Climate investment in clean technology to tackle climate Investment. change is being threatened by delays and doubts over the COP15 deal on climate change. What happened in the last month on climate Without urgent progress which will stimulate change in MENA? funding for renewables, nations could be locked into high-carbon energy and transport Concentrated Solar Power (CSP): The Clean technologies for many years. The danger of technology Fund (CTF) approved financing of uncertainty over clean technology investments $750 million on December 2, 2009, as part of an is an immediate problem both in MENA and in investment plan which will mobilize an other developing countries. Most countries additional $4.85 billion from other sources, to have to make decisions right now about where accelerate global deployment of Concentrated they are going to invest to obtain the energy Solar Power (CSP). It will do so by investing in needed for their economies. Now renewable the CSP programs of five countries in the energy sources have a premium to pay up Middle East and North Africa: Algeria, Egypt, front, and these decisions are being influenced Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia. by uncertainty on the price on carbon. There is a risk that countries will invest in existing high The proposed projects will mitigate about 1.7 carbon technologies that will produce high million tons of carbon dioxide per year from carbon emissions for 20-30 years. the energy sectors. If the program is successful The markets need a strong, clear signal about and replicated, the global benefits will be far CO2 reductions, said Lord Stern. "That's what larger. The transformational objective of this we can give in Copenhagen with a strong investment plan is served by accelerating cost political agreement. If we get nothing then it reduction for a technology that could become would be very damaging to confidence." All least-cost globally, and then be replicated in participants have accepted that it is impossible other countries with high GHG emissions. to seal a legally binding climate treaty in Copenhagen in the next couple of weeks. The Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR): question now is whether leaders will be able to The Yemen PPCR team held the first joint set firm "politically binding" targets for carbon mission in Yemen with the objective to prepare emission reductions and the funding that rich for submission of a proposal for Phase I of the nations need to provide for poorer nations to program. The Mission met with the implementing agency EPA and various ministries, as well as civil society and donors. January 2010 · Number 1 · 3 It is envisaged that the proposal for phase 1 of change, one of the selection criteria for the the PPCR in Yemen will be submitted to the initiative is: ―Promote Environmental Quality: CIF-admin unit in January 2010. For more The extent to which the proposal promotes the information on the PPCR in Yemen please preservation or restoration of environmental contact Dorte Verner. quality within the framework of the main competition themes‖. Grants will be awarded Upcoming Events: to 10 initiatives for up to $33,000 per activity. Eligible countries include: Algeria, Egypt, Dissemination of the WDR in MENA: The Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, dissemination of the WDR report in the region Tunisia, West Bank and Gaza. Deadline for is already happening. Dissemination has submission of proposals are January 15, 2010. occurred in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Kuwait in More information available at October, 2009. A second round of www.worldbank.org/gfyi . Thanks Gloria and disseminations is planned for February. The Bruce for sending this information. For more WDR team will visit Israel, the West Bank and information contact Gloria La Cava. Gaza, Jordan, and Syria. Please contact Julia MDTF. Raffaello has kindly informed us that Bucknall for more information. the proposals have been assessed by an evaluation committee, and 6 proposals have BBL: Like a Hand in a Glove: Low Carbon been selected for Donor Review: growth and Renewable Energy in the Context of Climate This two-part presentation will Adaptation: focus on low carbon growth and clean energy and will 1) present the Bank's low-carbon  Support of Downscaling Climate assessment program, for which the Mexico low- Change in MENA Region w/ Case carbon study was recently completed. 2) show Studies how the countries in the MENA region have  Improving Food Import Supply Chains embraced clean energy as part of their National in Arab Countries energy strategies. Speakers: Todd Johnson and Chandra Govindarajalu  Vulnerability to Climate Change in Time and place: January 25, 10:00 – 11:30 in Agricultural Systems in MENA room H8-290 Mitigation: BBL: Water in Mena: the New Oil? A discussion of the role of water in Mena by  Economic Analysis to Assess the Potential for CSP in MENA and author of the well renowned book "Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Evaluate the Derived Benefits of Large- Scale Renewable Energy Development Civilization" Steven Solomon and Julia Bucknall, Sector Manager ETTWA.  Cairo Congestion Study Speakers: Steven Solomon and Julia Bucknall Time and place: late February, date to be  Marseille Center Program on Cities and confirmed. Climate Change (Adaptation and Mitigation) News on Funds and Grants: New publications and findings on climate The MENA Global Fund for Youth change Investment Competition: The Youth Driven Development Competition seeks to identify and The Copenhagen Diagnosis: Climate Science support small-scale youth projects developed Report for Policy Makers. Since the latest IPCC and implemented by young people, addressing report, many hundreds of papers have been the thematic areas of youth development published on topics related to human-induced supported under the GPYI: entrepreneurship climate change. The Copenhagen Diagnosis and civic engagement. Relevant to climate synthesizes the most policy relevant of all this January 2010 · Number 1 · 4 climate science into one report. The executive Contact MNSSD: summary is available in 11 languages2. Laszlo Lovei, Director, MNA Sustainable Development Department 2009 Report of the Arab Forum for Luis Constantino, Manager, MNSSD Environment and Development – Arab Environment Climate Change – Impact of MNA Climate Change Team: Climate Change on Arab Countries: Bruce Dorte Verner and Johanne Holten Macphail has kindly sent us the link to this Tel #: (202) 458 2813 interesting report that was published last The MNA Climate Change Briefs are intended to month. The report describes the mitigation summarize lessons learned from MNA and other Bank efforts in the Arab countries as well as the Knowledge and Learning activities on Climate Change impacts of climate change on a number of issues. The Briefs do not necessarily reflect the views of sectors including health, food production, land the World Bank, its board or its member countries. use and urban planning, water, sea level rise, tourism, and biodiversity. The authors conclude that, alarmingly, virtually no work is being carried out to prepare Arab countries for the climate change challenges. At the same time they found that 98% of the Arab population believes that the climate is changing, and 89% believe this change is due to human activities3. 2 Find the full report and summaries here: www.copenhagendiagnosis.org 3 The report can be found at:: http://www.afedonline.org/afedreport09/default.asp January 2010 · Number 1 · 5