COP24 Update - Nothing is guaranteed.

The headline for the outside world with COP24 is the refusal by the USA, Russia and Saudi Arabia to

COP24 - Katovice - Poland

do anything other than 'note ' the IPCC report saying we only have 12 years left to get our house in order to keep the average global temperature rise to a survivable 1.5 degrees. I say 'the outside world' because a lot of the time you are inside. COP24 very much has the feel of an International Space Station (with gravity!). You don't see much of the outside world. You could be anywhere, in any part of the world. You're also very conscious that people from every part of the world are there as well. The experience for most attendees is probably equivalent to a Festival of Climate Action. In the various meeting rooms, every possible aspect of climate change, climate mitigation and climate adaptation is

Miguel Canete - EU Climate Change Commissioner

discussed in depth. Now and again there will be a star turn. Top of the bill yesterday was former US Vice President Al Gore giving a bravura presentation on the 'State of the Climate' with ongoing criticism of the shortsightedness of governments and businesses.

My mission at COP24 was very clear to me. To focus on the issue I had conceived and promoted for the last 2 years, 'Regionally and Locally Determined Contributions' - RLDC's. It's hard to make a subject with this title sound engaging. What exactly does it mean? The short explanation is that just as we have carbon emission savings identified for nations, Nationally Determined Contributions - NDCs, we also should have savings identified for Councils and other political bodies at the Local and Regional level - RLDCs. To engage the power of the local could

With CoR Vice President Markula at the EU Commission Briefing

help bridge the gap between the emissions we need to save and those identified in the NDCs. So if it works the difference between achieving and failing to achieve the COP21 Paris Climate Goals.

So I've been away from home for 10 days and frankly want to get back. At COP24 I've made a number presentations and press interviews as well as participating in briefings on progress of the talks. The key one for me was with EU Climate Change Commissioner Miguel Canete where I asked for strong support for RLDCs but also the ongoing involvement of Local and Regional Authorities in developing policies and strategies to address climate change. It's not going to be as easy an ask as you might think. COP stands for 'Conference of the Parties' and the Parties are Governments. Giving LRA's their own contributions is regarded by some as ignoring the agreed structure of global action on climate change.

Presenting on RLDCs in the EU Pavillion

So even if it makes perfect sense to seek to resolve climate change in this way it may be politically difficult to deliver.

What we do know is that there has been a growing pressure for action at the local and regional level to have greater recognition fro LRAs.  Todays's statement from 'Non State Actors'  through the Talanoa Dialogue Call for Action has piled on the pressure for greater emphasis on action by LRAs on mitigation and adaptation. Here's just some of the positive statements they made yesterday that were endorsed by the Presidents of COP23 and COP24 that indicate a greater role for LRAs

"Actors in all countries, including Parties and non-Party stakeholders at the national, regional and

Al Gore doing his impressive 'State of the Climate' talk

community levels are already taking action. Pre-2020 action is vital for putting the world on a path towards achieving the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement. But it is not only governments that must act. Non-Party stakeholders can and should join in pre-2020 action and complement action by states. "

"Multilateralism and cooperation will enable us to address problems together, find solutions, and build consensus for the common good. Only a global coalition of actors – including Parties, national and sub-national governments, private sector companies, the investment community, civil society and all non-Party stakeholders – can take us there."

 "Together, Parties, working with non-Party stakeholders including sub-national governments, should pursue efforts to strengthen mitigation and adaptation commensurate with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. They must work together in the planning and pursuit of low emissions and climate-resilient development." 

"We call upon civil society leaders to marshal the public and political will needed to drive action. We call upon them to engage political leadership, influence and challenge norms, enhance awareness, and mobilize action at the regional, state and local levels." 

Andrew and the Andalucians (not a new band)

A really positive meeting for me yesterday was when I met 2 representatives from the Andalucian Government, Jose Fiscal Lopez, Minister of Environment and Territory and Jose Hernandez teh Depity Regional Minister. In Andalucia they had established a Climate Law that meant carbo savings carried out at the local level fed directly into the Spanish Governments Nationally Determined Contributions. They have effectively created an RLDC and are happy for the EU Committee of the Regions to use them as an example of best practice for others to follow.

So where are we with only a day to go before COP24 is supposed to end? Well nothing is guaranteed. I'm hoping all the positive work we have done from the EU Committee of the Regions team pays off and we a greater role for LRAs in action to address the threat of global change. Lets see what happens.

Goodbye COP24