Bangkok, Thailand – For two days last month, experts on forests and climate from some 20 countries in Asia and the Pacific met in Bangkok to discuss the outcomes of the 20th Conference of Parties (COP20) held in Lima, Peru at the end of 2014 and its implications for the region.
The regional consultation, “Implications of Lima for Forests and Climate Change in Asia and the Pacific,” was hosted by RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the ASEAN Regional Knowledge Networking on Forest and Climate Change (ARKN-FCC).
COP20, the experts attending the consultation agreed, provided the necessary basis for laying the groundwork of an international climate change agreement expected to be produced at COP21 in Paris this December. 190 countries are expected to produce intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) for climate action in advance of the conference in Paris.
“The good thing about the INDCs is that countries can elect what they want to focus on,” said Elizabeth Philip, Head of Forest Research Institute Malaysia’s Climate Change and Forestry Programme. “It’s important that it’s a nationally driven process.”
In addition to the plans for INDCs, other results of COP20 were: developed and developing countries pledged over US$10 billion to the new Green Climate Fund (GCF); several countries allowed themselves to be questioned about their emissions targets under a new process called the Multilateral Assessment; and a Ministerial Declaration also called on governments to integrate climate change study in school curricula and further climate change awareness by including it in national development plans.
More specifically to the forestry sector, Stephen Leonard, a Senior Policy Analyst on UNFCCC for CIFOR, pointed out that COP20 will lead to REDD+ beginning to be implemented over the next few years.
“One of the major successes in Lima was the large number of countries that submitted their technical forestry processes,” he said. “REDD+ is very much moving forward.”
While some experts were positive about COP20, others expected more results. But more optimistic experts warned against paying attention to only the immediate results.
“A lot of stuff was going on on the sidelines, which will inform a lot of what will happen as we move towards Paris,” said Aya de Leon, Senior Legal and Policy Specialist, Climate Change and Environment of the Ateneo School of Government, Ateneo de Manila University. “So it’s not a “no results” COP; it’s just that everything didn’t necessarily happen at the negotiating table.”
Indeed, the coming months leading up to Paris will be essential for an international agreement to be reached this year to come into effect post 2020. And, if the world is to adequately deal with the detrimental impacts of climate change, an international climate change agreement is necessary.