What was achieved at UN climate summit in Katowice in December 2018? After two-week-long negotiations, countries agreed upon most elements of the so-called “rulebook”, a set of guidelines and principles to implement the Paris agreement (enacted at COP21 in 2015). It provides details on how and how often countries should report on their greenhouse gas emissions, how this can be verified (transparency framework) and how emissions can be compared. The rulebook, a 133-page long document, also includes guidelines on climate finance reporting.
The conference also saw several announcements on financing, among others by the World Bank, Germany and Norway. Financial transfers from developed to developing countries was indeed a key theme of the discussions.
Contrary to expectations and with a few exceptions, countries did not make announcements during the conference to increase their ambitions on cutting emissions. Although this is a disappointing area of the talks, chances of stepping up emission targets were low from the start. Currently, the sum of all submitted national emission reduction targets (or NDCs, Nationally Determined Contributions in UN language) set us on a trajectory for at least 3°C of warming by the end of the century compared to preindustrial levels, way above the desired objective of 1.5°C decided in Paris.
This, with a few other technical and thorny issues such as carbon markets, was postponed during the conference to next year talks that will be held in Chile, and ultimately to the 2020 climate summit, due to take place in the UK or in Italy. As the Guardian puts it: “Decisions made from now to 2020 will determine to what extent Earth remains habitable”.
It is fair to say I suppose that, overall, the chances of getting to an agreement at COP24 were equally balanced with the risk of a failure, and, by this measure, the fact that more than 190 countries (exactly 196) agreed on a rulebook is an important step forward. Needless to say, more could have been achieved as always, and the agreement lacks ambition in several areas. It does however define a framework, the key rules of the game to set Paris principles in motion.
This does not change the fact that, as of now, we are still driving straight into the wall with current emission reduction pledges communicated by countries since Paris. It would be naive at the same time to expect international climate negotiations to be a unique and sufficient remedy against global warming. UN climate talks are only one part of the overall response that we need.
The other pieces of the puzzle are to come from a whole range of players, including national governments, but also sub-national and local governments, regions (for instance via the R20 organization), cities (thanks to organizations such as C40, ICLEI, the Global Covenant of Mayors or Transition Network), private companies (very big part! – one way to act is by joining the Science Based Targets initiative), and ultimately from citizens (true, some individuals contribute more than others to global heating and they should be the first ones to reduce their emissions).
A key component of climate action is increased environmental consciousness, and I think in this respect that there is a positive side effect of climate conferences, which is to raise public awareness locally about global warming. I remember some years ago having the feeling that climate change was often considered a non issue in the public debate here. It is now being discussed, at least from time to time, publicly and privately. These are not always factual, science-based discussions, and sometimes far from it, but at least the problem is being raised. And, as the climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe argues: “the most important thing you can do to fight climate change: talk about it“.
Key references about COP24 and the so-called “Katowice package” adopted at the end of the conference:
- Link to the full text of the Katowice package on the UNFCCC page.
- Probably the most comprehensive and in-depth review of the text and of the negotiations: COP24: Key outcomes agreed at the UN climate talks in Katowice, Carbon Brief, 16 December 2018.
A few articles presenting and discussing the results of COP24:
- New Era of Global Climate Action To Begin Under Paris Climate Change Agreement, UNFCCC, 15 December 2018
- The longest COP in history, The Katowice Package was adopted unanimously, Polityka Insight Climate, 17 December 2018
- What does the Katowice package mean, Polityka Insight Climate, 17 December 2018
- STATEMENT: Tough Climate Talks Wrap Up in Poland, Putting Paris Agreement in Motion, World Resources Institute
- ‘We can move forward now’: UN climate talks take significant step, The Guardian,16 December 2018
- What was agreed at COP24 in Poland and why did it take so long?, The Guardian, 16 December 2018
- UN climate accord ‘inadequate’ and lacks urgency, experts warn, The Guardian, 16 December 2018
- UN climate talks set stage for humanity’s two most crucial years, The Guardian, 17 December 2018
- Experts criticise weak outcome of Poland climate meet: ‘Rulebook dilutes Paris deal’, The Times of India
- Ten Things The World Learned At The COP24 Climate Change Negotiations, Forbes, 13 December 2018
- COP24 ends without firm promises to raise climate action and ambition, Greenpeace, 15 December 2018
- COP 24 w Katowicach – sukces, który niełatwo zrozumieć (in Polish), Wysokie Napiecie, 17 December 2018
- Kurtyka: Podczas COP24 były trzy bardzo trudne momenty, w tym jeden z powodów czysto politycznych (in Polish), Teraz Srodowisko with Polska Agencja Prasowa, 10 January 2019
- Capricious foes, Big Sister & high-carbon plutocrats: irreverent musings from Katowice’s COP24, blog of Professor Kevin Anderson, 10 January 2019
Carbon neutral - climate conscious 