SEI at the Lima Climate Change Conference

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The Lima Climate Change Conference ran from 1 to 13 December, and 11 SEI staff observed the negotiations and participating in side-events and related external activities. This is the 20th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 10th Session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP10). Click on the links at right to see key publications related to COP20.

SEI side-event on low-carbon development:

SEI hosted a side-event with the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN), Low-carbon development for Latin America: Analytical support tools and integrated analyses. The event focused on the potential for Latin American countries to pursue low-carbon development and climate change mitigation, with insights from the CLIMACAP/LAMP project and from projects using SEI’s LEAP (Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning) tool. The panel included LEAP developer Charlie Heaps; Bob van der Zwaan from ECN; Leon Clarke, of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; and Nicolás Di Sbroiavacca, of Fundación Bariloche. The moderator was Mónica Araya, of Nivela and Costa Rica Limpia.
– Friday, 12 December, 13:15-14:45, Caral Room (130). Read a summary of the event.

Side-event on assessing INDCs:

Intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) are the centrepiece of the global climate agreement now being negotiated under the UNFCCC. SEI co-hosted Assessing and Reviewing Contributions under a 2015 Agreement: Toward Paris and Beyond, a side-event focused on how INDCs should be organized and assessed in the lead-up to the COP21 in Paris. Speakers, including SEI’s Harro van Asselt, also reflected on how the INDC review process could be used to enhance mitigation ambition. The work is funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers; along with SEI, co-organizers were the German Development Institute (DIE) and the Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research (Cicero).
– Saturday, 6 December, 15:30-17:30, EU Pavilion Room Brussels

SIANI & EcoAdapt event at the Global Landscapes Forum:

The SEI-hosted SIANI (Swedish International Agricultural Network Initiative) and EcoAdapt co-sponsored a multi-stakeholder discussion forum at the GLF, Moving targets: Challenges and opportunities for sustainability in “frontier” landscapes. Landscapes across the developing world are changing rapidly, mostly due to accelerating demand for food and other natural resources, exacerbated by climate change and other factors. Over time, novel societies are emerging in these “frontier landscapes”, with diverse actors who have different productive strategies, cultural and migration histories, and access to capital, technology and markets. The discussion included research and policy perspectives, with a “hidden” panel in the audience charged with testing the speakers’ positions. SEI’s Toby Gardner was a panelist, and Tahia Devisscher and Javier Godar were co-organizers.
– Sunday, 7 December, 16:00-17:30 at the GLF, Westin Hotel & Convention Center, Lima

The event team also participated in other GLF activities, as did Madeleine Fogde, senior project manager for SIANI, and intern Denise Silveti. In addition, Fogde mentored and guided youth who attended the GLF.

Other SEI activities and side-event highlights:

• SEI’s recent analysis of climate mitigation finance needs was presented by Oxfam at the side-event Fossil fuel subsidies and the Carbon Majors levy: Freeing up climate finance, which also included perspectives from CAN-Europe, the Climate Justice Programme, and the Friends of Fossil Fuel Reform Group, Norway. The authors of the SEI analysis were not at the COP, but Claudia Strambo attended.
– Monday, 1 December, 18:00-20:00, EU Pavilion Room Brussels

• Tahia Devisscher represented SEI’s weADAPT team at the Climate Knowledge Brokers Group (CKB) Latin America Workshop 2014, which aimed to foster collaboration between climate knowledge brokers across the region. The aim of the CKB group is to improve access to reliable information and robust methods for those working in climate change and development, specifically supporting regionally focused initiatives to enable them to enhance their ability to share lessons and experiences.
  – Friday, 5 December, 9:00-15:00, ESAN University, Lima
• Richard Klein, Claudia Strambo and Marion Davis participated in two hands-on consultation sessions to introduce and solicit feedback on the new online PROVIA Guidance tool, first working with national experts and other stakeholders, then with donor agencies, development banks and other international organizations. The goal was to further improve the tool and release it early in 2015.
  – Friday, 5 December, 10:00-18:00, JW Marriott Hotel, Lima
• Richard Klein and Tahia Devisscher participated in the 12th annual Development & Climate Days, a two-day event that focused on innovative approaches and incisive dialogue for climate-smart development. The focus this year was on integrating global efforts to tackle climate change and poverty, to set the world on a path to zero extreme poverty and zero net emissions within a generation.
  – Saturday, 6 December, and Sunday, 7 December, Country Club Lima Hotel
• Richard Klein participated in the launch of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Adaptation Gap Report 2014, which provides a framework for defining adaptation gaps and a preliminary assessment of the gap between adaptation needs and reality. Klein was a panellist in a discussion responding to the report presentation.
  – Saturday, 6 December, 18:00-20:00, EU Pavilion Room Roma
•  As part of the New Climate Economy project, in which SEI is a key partner, the Climate Policy Initiative and the London School of Economics’ Grantham Research Institute hosted the side-event Innovation and Investment: Drivers of Low-Carbon Economic Growth for a New Climate Economy. Speakers including Lord Nicholas Stern presented research and analysis showing the benefits of a low-carbon energy transition, including dynamic spill-overs and complementarities associated with ambitious early action on innovation.
  – Monday, 8 December, 13:15-14:45, Machu Picchu Room
• The UK Department of Energy and Climate Change also hosted a New Climate Economy side-event, Building better cities, land use, and energy systems through a New Climate Economy. The event explained the rationale for the project’s focus on those three systems, presented key findings from the NCE report, and offered perspectives from different sponsor countries.
  – Tuesday, 9 December, 18:00-20:00, EU Pavilion Room Brussels

Read more on the official COP20 website »