Meeting Notes Summary - Dec. 14, 2009

I. Regional and Amazonian initiatives on climate change and REDD: Voice of Latin America
9:00 am - 10:30 am

Notes by Elaine Hallmark

Emphasis was on how to help stakeholders, especially traditional cultures affected by the REDD and other forest preservation projects to be part of the decision-making in the process. They talked about several cooperative projects such as in the Amazon region or at the program level in REDD. Forums had been held in 5 countries to feed into the development of policies. One group was the ARA, Articulacion Regional Amazonica. This is a fruitful area for working with other NGOs and coalitions to develop processes based on what we have learned about collaborative, decision-making including all the stakeholders.

II. Building capacity for effective public engagement in climate change governance
10:30 am - 12:30 pm

Notes by Elaine Hallmark (also attended by Kirk Emerson)

This workshop presented an entry point for conflict resolution/consensus building on existing and emerging public issues within the international framework for involving the public in environmental issues and decisions.

There were reports on provisions from Article 6 of the Convention and the New Delhi Work Program adopted in 2001 regarding public participation; how the Aarhus Convention is making access to information, public participation and environmental justice issues legally binding for its member countries; and how UNITAR is working with several national pilot projects to develop a national baseline, set priorities and develop programs in those countries to build the capacity for public participation.

A UNFCCC representative said they had not yet contacted experts in the area of conflict resolution and consensus building, but will be working very seriously on this agenda next year under SBI. One month ago a meeting was held in Nairobi re UNEP guidelines on these issues.

A group is working to get public participation principles into the text of COP 15 recognizing that although delegates are not dealing with these issues now, public participation will play a role.

III. Making REDD a Reality at Multiple Scales
11:00 am

Notes by William Hallmark

This session discussed Brazil’s efforts to save the Amazon Forest. For several reasons, Brazil is a leader in the effort to eliminate deforestation: (1) a powerful indigent movement to save their native forests, (2) a political decision by the government of Brazil to commit to reduce annual deforestation rates by 80%, and (3) efforts by Greenpeace and other environmental organizations resulting in meat and soy industries committing to a zero deforestation supply line.

Brazil has achieved an 80% reduction in deforestation. Some of these gains may be temporary, but Brazil may actually achieve 0% deforestation in the Amazon and expand include other forests within its boundaries.

Brazil’s efforts can serve as example for other areas and the process is ripe for mediation:

• Facilitation to enable local populace to define how they want to use their forest.
• Design processes for open involvement of all stakeholders. The Wood Hole Research Center, www.whrc.org /pan-tropical
may have info on this opportunity or may even be designing and implementing such processes.
• Design processes to determine fair and equitable compensation of forest people.
• Address illegal forest use issues
• Facilitate development of government mechanisms at local and national levels that can work as an integrated system.
• Facilitation processes to assure projects are cost effective.
• Develop processes where business and industry, government, and environmental interests can work together.

IV. Poland's Climate Policy - The Green Investment Scheme (GIS)

Notes by William Hallmark

A presentation by 5 Polish businessmen and academics to outline the 30% reduction in emissions Poland has been able to achieve in the last ten years while increasing GDP by 70-80%.

Poland’s success may be due to starting with a crashed economy and an extremely high level of emissions. Poland’s future plans include nuclear energy and biomass, both of which drew criticism.

A clearly “developed-economy point of view” focused on technological solutions, including “negawatts” -- the reduction of energy use through improved efficiency. Poland still creates high emissions to produce energy, but has made it a goal to address this issue and be more in line with other European countries.

V. Faith Based approaches to Climate Justice

Notes by Todd Gardner

Churches discuss climate change and that developed nations must repay climate debt to the developing countries. The core principles:
1. Human dignity
2. Solidarity
3. Common good or sustainability
4. Subsidiary or the idea that you do what you can at your level but get help from a higher level.
5. Preferential options for the poor. There was an implicit indication that a world authority is necessary to achieve this including an international bankruptcy court.

Paufu Felani, leader of the Congregational Christian Church on Tuvalu (95 percent of the 12k population are members), spoke from the heart of the need to listen to the "still small voice" for direction on survival.

VI. International Chamber of Commerce ICC

Notes by Nicolai Abramson

Sources of future conflict and potential role for mediation:
1. Electricity
2. Competition for resources
3. Competition for green business

VII. Session “Acting on Climate Change”

Notes by Vicky Eisler

Executive Director of UNEP, Achim Steiner, recognized the need for mediation and facilitation to achieve a sustainable agreement once the parties reach an accord and the value of these tools to address the inevitable conflicts of the implementation phase.

(the exact transcript of this statement will follow shortly)