Report

OVERVIEW

The Honourable Rosa Galvez, Senator and Vice-Chair of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas, attended events organized within the framework of the 25^th Conference of the Parties (COP 25) in Madrid, Spain. The Senator, as Vice-President for North America, was part of a delegation composed of Executive Committee members of the ParlAmericas Parliamentary Network on Climate Change. From December 1 to 3, 2019, she had the opportunityto learn more about various climate change issues, promote parliamentarians’ role in implementing the December 2015 Paris Agreement, and present the activities of the network.

Over 200 countries and approximately 26,700 delegates participated throughout the two weeks of the Conference. COP25 aimed to raise ambition in preparation for next year’s COP, where countries are meant to update their nationally determined contributions (NDCs). The main negotiating topics included finalizing the rules for Article 6 of the Paris Agreement (carbon markets and non-market mechanisms), The Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage, The Gender Action Plan, and Climate Financing. Within these negotiations, civil society and non-party stakeholders were advocating for more inclusive negotiations, as well as for texts that respect human rights, just transition, inclusion of youth and vulnerable populations, oceans and the cryosphere, and overall climate action based on science.

ACTIVITIES DURING THE VISIT

Event of December 1, 2019

Briefing with the Mr. Matthew Levin, Ambassador of Canada to Spain

Canada’s Ambassador to Spain, Mr. Matthew Levin, and other officials from the Embassy of Canada to Spain briefed Senator Galvez about several issues affecting Canada-Spain relations. Mr. Levin discussed the socio-political situation of the country. He also addressed Spain’s progress on their climate targets and their commitments for the Paris Agreement. Also, the Ambassador addressed the issue of gender equality and violence against women. On both issues, Canada and Spain have many opportunities to collaborate.

Events of December 2, 2019

1. Briefing with the Official Canadian Negotiating Delegation

Senator Galvez received a private briefing with Catherine Stewart, Chief Canadian Negotiator and Curtis Jenken, Policy Advisor. Ms. Stewart presented the key topics of negotiation for COP25 and shared Canada’s position on these issues. Canada’s priorities for COP25 included ensuring the development of strong rules for Article 6 of the Paris Agreement to establish a credible system, the development and adoption of the Gender Action Plan, as well as supporting the integration of a just transition and Indigenous rights in the implementation of the Agreement.

2. Official Opening Ceremony

Senator Galvez attended the Official Opening Ceremony with the official delegation of the government of Canada. The ceremony included speeches from Carolina Schmidt, Minister of Environment of Chile, President of COP25; Pedro Sánchez, President of the Government of Spain; Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; Hoesung Lee, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; and António Guterres, United Nations (UN) Secretary General who stated that, “by the end of the coming decade we will be on one of two paths. One is the path of surrender…jeopardizing the health and safety of everyone on this planet…the other option is the path of hope. A path of resolve, of sustainable solutions.” The key message echoed during the ceremony was that science has issued a clear warning that there is an urgent need for countries and their political leaders to act now to address the climate emergency. Many countries, particularly insular countries, have already declared a climate emergency situation.

3. Fighting Climate Change: The Legislative Response

The European Union pavilion hosted an official side event organized by the International Institute for Law and the Environment (IIDMA in Spanish). The session was moderated by Ana Barreira, Director, IIDMA and panellists included Oisin Coghlan, Director, Friends of the Earth Ireland; Lola Vallejo, Climate Programme Director, Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations; Malte Hentschke, Deputy Manager, Klima Allianz Deutschland (Climate-Alliance Germany); Yvon Slingenberg, Director of International, Mainstreaming and Policy Coordination, Directorate General Climate Action, European Commission.

The panellists shared their perspectives and experiences on the development and implementation of climate legislation. They noted the benefits in having strong climate legislation: providing certainty for businesses; allowing climate action to be mainstreamed across all government departments or sectors – for example, Germany’s Climate Action Law breaks down the country’s annual legally binding targets and CO₂ budgets; ensuring better monitoring on the progress towards reaching targets; and it can create action plans that coordinate with national financial budgets. Many of the panellists shared how a Citizens Assembly and expert bodies were created in their respective countries to provide non-partisan feedback on political decisions relating to climate, such as the French High Council for Climate Change. Ultimately, there was agreement that there should be enhanced monitoring and enforcement of the implementation of such laws.

4. Transportation & Oil: Phasing Out Diesel Engines and the Fuel They Use to Meet the Paris Agreement

The panel was organized by the Center for Biological Diversity, European Federation for Transport and Environment and Institute for Policy Studies. Panellists included, Jean Su, Energy Director, Climate Law Institute; John Fleming, Climate Staff Scientist, Center for Biological Diversity; Margarita Parra, International Program Director, Clean Energy Works; Simon Engelke, Researcher and Battery Scientist, Cambridge University; and Sena Alouka, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Jeunes volontaires pour l’environnement (JVE) (Young Volunteers for the Environment) - Niger.

The panellists advised that to reform the fossil-fuel dependent transportation sector, a financial analysis would be needed to identify how capacity for the electrification of transportation could be increased by providing a strategy to address high capital costs, as well as introducing clean incentive policies. Ms. Parra suggested that utility companies could act as co-investors for the infrastructure necessary for the electrification of a municipality. Efficient and reliable electric public transportation is necessary to reduce single-occupancy vehicles, as well as the elimination of oil and gas subsidies. It was also noted that certain national and sub-regional governments are instilling top down mandates that ban fossil fuel cars. 

5. Transformative Climate Resilient Pathways for Sustainable and Healthy Food Systems and Diets

This panel was co-sponsored by Brighter Green, Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, Global Forest Coalition and ProVeg. Dr. Maria Christina Tirado, President of the Sustainability Health and Education (SHE) Foundation and UN Standing Committee on Nutrition moderated the session on transformative pathways to promote sustainable and healthy food systems and diets to ensure the conservation of forests, ecosystems, cultural heritage and spiritual values. The panellists included Dr. Ming Nan Lin, Vice Superintendent of Tzu Chi Dalin Hospital; Raphael Podselver, Political Outreach at ProVeg International; Ruth Nyambura, Global Forest Coalition (Kenya); Estebancio Castro Diaz, International Alliance on Indigenous Tribal Peoples of the Tropical Forests, Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon River Basin – Panama (COICA in Spanish); and Zitouni Oudd Dada, Deputy Director at Food and Agriculture Organization, Climate and Environment Division.

The panel discussed the impacts of climate change on the food system, and conversely the negative impacts of animal agriculture on the climate. Mr. Oudd Dada stated that there is a global problem of food inequality, with some people not having enough while others have too much which also results in high amounts of food waste. Dr. Nan Lin and Mr. Podselver shared the benefits of a vegetarian diet in physical health as well as reducing the environmental impact. Mr. Podselver noted the detriment that land grabbing for agricultural purposes has on Indigenous peoples and how it leads to a loss in traditional knowledge. Ms. Nyambura shared how free trade agreements are negatively impacting local farmers, forcing them to sell their products to the exterior. She also noted that only 15% of agricultural lands are owned by smallholder farms limiting their decision-making power and ability to make positive changes in agricultural practices.  

6. Nature-Based Solutions: Integrating Coastal Ecosystems in 2020 NDCs

The panel was organized by The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Nature Conservancy, and the Government of Seychelles. The session was moderated by Lisa Schindler Murray, Policy Advisor, International Climate Change, The Nature Conservancy. Panellists included Lois Young, Permanent Representative to the UN in Belize; Rochelle Newbold, Director, Science and Technology Commission, Ministry of the Environment and Housing of The Bahamas; Jeanette Mani, Climate Change Division, Fiji; Rémy Rioux, French Development Agency; and Thomas Hickey, The Pew Charitable Trusts.

The panel discussed actions that coastal countries are implementing to protect their seagrass, mangroves, salt marshes and ecosystems as a nature-based solution to fighting climate change. The keynote speech was presented by Ronny Jumeau, UN Permanent Representative to the Seychelles, he remarked how coastal wetlands help community resilience to climate impacts and they also help sequester carbon in a manageable and measurable way, as well as filter water. He also stated how a healthy ocean can act as a buffer to climate change, as the ocean is a great carbon sink. There was a consensus among panellists that the NDCs need to better recognize the valuable role of blue carbon and should be accompanied with a time series analysis to quantify its benefit, to better inform policies. Finally, panellists from small island states noted that they are doing everything they can do to confront climate change but ultimately their Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions are not as significant as larger economies and it is unfair that they endure the highest climate change impacts.

Events of December 3, 2019

7. The Culture of a Changing Climate in the Caribbean

The panel was organized by the Japan Caribbean Climate Change Partnership (JCCCP) with the aim to better understand the experiences of country and development partners in their work to change culture in response to climate adaptation and mitigation necessities. The moderator was Marium Alleyne, Technical Associate, JCCCP. Panellists included David Bynoe, National Coordinator, Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme, United Nations Development Programme; Ayesha Constable, National Coordinator, JCCCP; Sherri Dennita Frederick, Interim Project Manager, JCCCP- UNDP.

The experience and advice presented by panellists focused on a need to build trust by working with community groups on the ground, building project flexibility to allow local input in defining the approach, identifying champions in the field that can help lead projects, as well as gate keepers that can help improve community engagement. Additionally, they highlighted the importance of not only tracking progress, but also ensuring a sustainable change by building sufficient capacity, building an income generator component into the project, and ensuring community involvement.

8. Cryosphere and the 1.5 Degree Goal: Cryosphere Pavilion Launch

This panel was organized by the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI), Climate Policy Center, and Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. The panel was moderated by Pam Pearson, Director, ICCI. Panellists included Andrés Couve, Minister of Science of Chile; Peter Eriksson, Minister for International Development Cooperation of Sweden; Ko Barrett, IPCC Vice-Chair; Jerónimo López-Martínez, President Spanish Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR); Marcelo Leppe, Director of the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH in Spanish); Brigitte Collet, Ambassador for Climate Change of France; Veronika Veits, Director of Oceans and Fisheries, Directorate General - Maritime, European Commission; Bill Hare, CEO, Climate Analytics; Robert Comeau, Associate Executive Director Youth Arctic Coalition.

The Cryosphere – the portion of the Earth’s surface where water is in solid form, including sea ice, glaciers, ice sheets and frozen ground – was selected as one of the priority issues for COP25, raising awareness on the vulnerability these regions face against climate change and how a difference of 0.5 degrees of warming can lead to significantly more dramatic effects in the Antarctic, Artic and high-alpine mountains – making it necessary for countries to push for a 1.5°C goal. Panellists warned that the cryosphere is at risk of irreversible impacts, from loss of sea ice and ice sheets, warming and acidifying oceans, and that there is an urgency to raise public awareness. Mr. Comeau, Inuk youth from Iqaluit, Nunavut, implored people to put a face to climate change, sharing that his community is drastically being affected by the negative impacts the climate has on the physical environment of his home in the arctic and how that’s affecting his community’s culture and livelihood. Some communities around the world depend on the Cryosphere for life necessities, often being their only source of freshwater. The conclusion of the panel was that urgent action needs to be undertaken to address climate change as impacts are already being felt and inaction will lead to catastrophe.

9. Building an Inclusive Global Stocktake: Independent and transparent assessments for greater ambition

The panel was organized by the ClimateWorks Foundation and the Humboldt-Viadrina Governance Platform. The moderator for the panel was Surabi Menon, Vice President, ClimateWorks Foundation. Speakers included Hannah Schindler, Climate Transparency Secretariat; Yamide Dagnet, World Resources Institute; Jason Anderson, ClimateWorks Foundation. The panellists included Katia Simeonova, UNFCCC Secretariat; Joko Prihatno, Ministry of Environment and Forestry of Indonesia; Manuela Galan, Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, United Kingdom; Fabby Tumiwa, Institute for Essential Service Reform, Indonesia; and Rixa Schwarz, Germanwatch.

The panel discussed the latest trends in climate action based on independent assessments, the rules of the Global Stocktake process and how independent input can play a role in the process. It made reference to the recently published Brown to Green Report 2019[1] from Climate Transparency which provides an overview of all G20 countries actions to transition towards net-zero emissions economy. The report reveals that no G20 country is on track for a 1.5°C goal, and that in fact, global emissions are increasing every year. The Global Stocktake is a process that tracks and assesses countries and identifies whether global action will lead to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement. This assessment happens every 5 years, which will equate to five 5-year periods until 2050 – which is when most countries have stated they will achieve carbon neutrality. Some of the gaps identified with the process included how country information would be obtained in a timely manner and how it would be linked to the enhanced transparency framework, how financial flows would be consistently assessed in all thematic areas, how loss and damage and qualitative data that reflects the social dimension of climate change will be measured, and how non-party stakeholders/civil society will provide input to the Stocktake.

10. Enhancing the Paris Ambition: Universities and Science, Humanities and Arts Interfaces 4 Future Life

The panel was organized by the University of Western Sydney and the University of California (UC). Speakers of this panel included Dr. Richard Widick, Sociologist & Visiting Scholar, Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies University of California, Santa Barbara and Associate Professor Maisa Rojas Corradi, Director, Climate Resilience Research Center, University of Chile. Dr. John Foran, Professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara and Dr. Elisabeth Weber, Professor of German Culture and Comparative Literature, University of California, Santa Barbara presented via pre-recorded videos. The session explored the interlinkages between the social crises, the environmental and climate change demands and the climate negotiations, using Chile as an example. Panellists discussed how there needs to be collaboration among stakeholders and that different perspectives are needed to fully address social and environmental demands. Among these perspectives, the humanities and creative arts can play a role in developing understanding and exploring solutions to this complex issue. Dr. Weber discussed how literature can provide an avenue to be more innovative in identifying climate solutions without the obstacles real society poses. The role of educators, students and young people was also discussed, particularly in scaling up efforts and building networks. The panel also presented a digital platform for climate educators called UC-CSU NXTerra[2] .

11. Enhancing the Paris Ambition: Universities and Science, Humanities and Arts Interfaces 4 Future Life

Senator Galvez participated in the morning coordination meeting for the TUNGO constituency of the UNFCCC. The meeting provided NGOs the opportunity to discuss the activities and achievements of the previous day, as well as their goals of the current day. The main objective of the TUNGO constituency at COP25 was to ensure the integration of a “just transition” into the various negotiation texts and to have stakeholders recognize its necessity in the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

12. Bilateral Meeting with the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ) (Federation of Workers of Québec)

Senator Galvez met with Patrick Rondeau, Advisor for Just Transition, FTQ. They discussed the need for workers from unsustainable economies to be recognized as first line experts and to be consulted in order to create strong public policies to facilitate their own transition to more sustainable industries. Mr. Rondeau talked about FTQ’s role in building a strong network of workers and environmental NGOs, with the objective to create a consensus on such a policy.

CONCLUSION

The following key messages emerged from the various events in which the delegation of ParlAmericas participated:

(1) There is an urgent need to accelerate decarbonisation of our economies. The International Panel on Cimate Change reports are increasingly alarming and scientific proof supports these claims.

(2) All stakeholders and diverse actors are needed to combat climate change. Many governments have created public programs to encourage greater participation, such as voluntary carbon management programs that engage the private sector.

(3) Countries should prepare to update and enhance their NDCs in consultation with civil society, being mindful of the participation and needs of women and youth, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, workers from traditionally unsustainable industries and marginalized communities.

(4) Social justice, human rights and the 2030 Agenda should be outlined in the NDCs and in countries’ national climate strategies. A just transition should be a focal point in these strategies to ensure that no one is left behind, as well as to allow for greater climate ambition.

(5) Climate change legislation should have measures that allow for accountability and for more specificity, establishing a framework and instruments that will facilitate the achievement of the NDCs. Common instruments include an independent council to monitor progress and an expert council that provides evidence-based recommendations to the government.

(6) There must be a commitment to create an enabling policy framework for renewable energy and to further accelerate the growth of renewable energy generation towards a 100% share within the coming years, and to embed this in a process built on the principles of public participation and just transition.

Respectfully submitted,

Marc G. Serré, M.P.

Chair

Canadian Section of ParlAmericas