REDD+ Scheme

An interest of mine at the moment is the REDD+ scheme which is one financial mechanism to combat climate change. On Wednesday I went to a very interesting session by CIFOR (centre for international forest research) all about REDD+ and have to share the complexities around this scheme with everyone.

First of all, for those who do not know. REDD+ stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation. Deforestation is the permanent removal of forests and withdrawal of land from forest use. Forest degradation refers to negative changes in the forest area that limit its production capacity.

Very simply put, developed countries (annex 1 countries more specifically) actually pay developing countries such as Brazil, Indonesia and Tanzania to NOT cut down their forests which very obviously play a positive role in combating climate change.

REDD is considered a carbon offset scheme, where annex 1 countries pay forested countries to maintain their forests and then gain carbon credits. By gaining carbon credits the industrialised country then aims to reach its reduction goals/targets. Because deforestation and degradation accounts for 20-25% of the green house gas emissions, making it more then transportation at this stage.

There are a few complications with the REDD scheme. The first very contentious issue around REDD is that by declaring forests protected it often means that governments also deny the indigenous communities of the forests to harvest wood which is denying them land tenure they have known for their whole existence. Therefore the equity issues around forests have made indigenous NGOs very anti REDD. Unless the governments make alternative livelihoods available to the forest communities they suffer under REDD. Often the REDD funding only becomes available once a forest has been protected and therefore no money is available for the indigenous communities. Compensation to the indigenous groups is often in the form of money but if it only comes later, these communities cannot survive whilst waiting for it.

Another issue is that around acquiring REDD financing. Often developing countries have no intention of deforesting their forests but threaten to do so or begin selling sections of their forests to timber companies so that they can get the REDD fund. Therefore REDD has in some situations made certain countries threaten or begin deforesting which would not have occurred without it- this is the case in certain sections of the Amazon. 

Another issue is that of MRV (monitoring, reporting and verifying). To be able to apply for REDD funding a country needs to provide reports and monitor there forest progress- which many developing countries do not have the capacity to do. Some people feel too much emphasise and money is spent on MRV which could go to indigenous communities.

There are also challenges around implementing REDD due to the fact that it has to be built onto national and subnational policies which is difficult and costly. I have no even skimmed the surface around the complexities associated with REDD but it is important just to know what it is and the theory behind it.

Day 2 Fact Sheet

Instead of droaning on about the highlights of my day I thought I would instead list all the facts I learnt today which I found particularly interesting/scary. As you can imagine most information we hear is pretty scary and depressing to say the least. But here are the facts of my day:

• The Kyoto Protocol demands to limit the rise in avg global temperature to 2*C but that actually means a catastrophic 7*C for Africa
• Investment  in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) which is one strategy to combat climate change, has dropped to only $1,5 million, therefore is less money available to deal with the growing issue and very little of it goes into countries in Africa
• To reach the 2020 reduction targets we need annex 1 countries to commit to the second phase of the Kyoto Protocol
• The Kyoto protocol is the only reduction mechanism in operation~ so if you dont know what it is you better get reading on the internet
• By 2020 we need a 40% reduction in emisson targets
• Durban is the best chance we have before it is too late
• Countries justify their inaction to climate change by saying it will destabilize their economy but the fact of the matter is INACTION will result in far less jobs then any conversion to a green economy
• Australia has passed the Carbon Tax has began investing $13 billion in the clean energy sector- all countries should!

I went to an interesting session by GreenPeace on ''Coal-the dirty truth" which was so informative. To summarize the main points very briefly:

•  the excuse by the energy department that coal is cheap and therefore far out plays renewable energy is a load of rubbish
• it is not cheaper when looking at all the externalities associated with coal
• SA is the 6th largest consumer of coal in the world yet we are not even attempting to convert to renewable energy
• China consumes 45% of the coal in the world but is at least striving to develop renewable energy unlike us!!
• Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is not not a solution to combat climate change; CCS is when carbon is captured out of the atmosphere and is stored in the earth kilometres deep.
• unfortunately it requires 10-40% more energy, vast amount of water and the storage potential of the earth is not known
• therefore it is not an alternative to reducing emissons

Experiences from the “People’s Space”: C17

8am, Howard College, 28 November 2011. I arrive at Howard College once again, following the weekend of madness that was COY7. Set up on the hill, spatially and symbolically far from the COP17 proceedings at the ICC, it felt strange to be on the side of civil society whilst Juli and Nick (along with Jacob Zuma) were down in the official space below.

Expecting to find the C17 more organised than the weekend, we were surprised to find the campus a hub of disorganisation – the programme and events were unclear, and the “youth space” which we headed to eventually was spectacularly empty. I couldn’t help but feel a sigh of disappointment. I could just imagine the politicians in their protocol-controlled sessions tut-tutting and saying, “typical”.

But despite this, we eventually stumbled upon a joint Eskom-UJ working group for youth on “Paradoxes of climate change: the green economy and sustainable development”. The delegates in the working group were actually there as part of a programme which will spend the next 10 days of COP working on this problem: addressing a workable solution to the “green economy” question. After the craziness of the first few days of COY, which – while amazingly educational – were pretty ideological and complex, finding ourselves in a space which was not only talking about the actual issues at hand but actually doing something about it was a great breath of fresh air. 

After taking part in this workshop, I started to understand a bit more about what the C17 space is about: providing workable solutions to the issues at hand. And as much as politicians feel indignant about the civil society’s disorganisation, so do many NGOs about what the “Conference of the Polluters” achieves, because they are actually already working out solutions to the issues at hand, but don’t have the political support needed to make larger changes.

And during this event, which is like a “global brainstorm” about a world-wide problem, one has to ask, why is there division between those thinking about what happens on the ground and those doing stuff on the ground?

To some extent, the fact that there is a separate “people’s space” to the “negotiator’s space” for COP17 points to a larger, more subtle problem. The separation of political rhetoric and what actually happens on the ground seems to be the status quo everywhere. Why is this? And could addressing this start to solve the political deadlocks and lack of progress over the last 16 COPs?

The Debate Begins

Monday the 28th November brought with it the official opening of COP17. The day began early with a youngo meeting that established the youths approaches to the conference and how they hoped to influence the negotiations at hand. In their meeting the global youth representatives used every opportunity to remind their colleges that what they, the youth, wanted from these talks was not another half measure by governments to prolong the fossil fuel generation. 6 of the members within the youngo meeting were even selected, by vote, to join the official plenary sessions. Although the selection process was open and fair there was a definite lack of African presence in those chosen. The main plenary sessions although late went on without a hitch, and unfortunately as expected the major leaders omitted the call for an extension to the Kyoto protocol or a legally binding agreement. The words of welcome from delegates like those of South African president Jacob Zuma were certainly warm. There was however the consensus that climate change is a devastating process that must be stopped and that the prior 20 years of stunted negotiations have taken far too long to have resulted in a lack of consensus. The official proceedings throughout the day followed suit. As a first time conference go-er the amount of formalities and greetings that preceded every parties statement was hard to adjust to. It is understood why they occupy this place yet the question that must be asked is, how much more negotiations could delegates get through if these endless greetings were removed from the official program.Along with the official proceedings cop17 also consists of many side events. One of these included a presentation by The Energy Research Institute, on India's response to climate change. This presentation consisted of an in depth look into local level mitigation measures that have been put in place by Indian local municipalities. This presentation not only included Indian officials but also academics, representatives of industry and other organisations. What this presentation showed was that even though these initiatives were of a local scale their principles could be put in place at an international level.

The final official session met in order to deal with a number of administrative matters and it also have the opportunity to parties to voice their expectations for the conference which lay ahead. Here again there was the consensus that there was a great opportunity for having up a legal agreement and that the time in Durban should not be wasted. Many parties like those of small developing island nations called for responsibility to am taken a developed nations for the sold they played in climate change and that developing nations should not bear the brunt of climate change alone. Observer organisations were also invited to voice their expectations and this is where the most inspiring calls came from. Pleadings like those of Gambia which noted that "No country is insignificant enough to be lost to the effects of climate change". Finally it was the turn of the African youth to voice their concerns. A member of the climate caravan from Nairobi, Ester, was given the honour of this task. She noted that "We cannot allow to leave durban without a legally binding agreement, it cannot be the death of the Kyoto protocol". It was inspiring messages like these that highlighted a day that was otherwise flooded by protocol.

COP17 opening ceremony

Just to give everyone a bit of background to set the scene of what happens at a COP. After being body searched and sent through a scanner upon arrival I walked around for a while trying to get my bearings. The amount of people is overwhelming, everyone is there for buisness and has a definate goal they are trying to acheive. Is amazing how insignificant you can feel walking amongst all the international delegates and representatives. Nick and myself watched the opening ceremony from the room next to the offical delegation room (which no NGOs were allowed into)- in our 'non-offical room' there must have been around 3000 people- the scale of this conference and volume of people is mind-blowing. App, 40 000 people have flown into durbs for this.

Every person gets a set of air phones so they can hear any translations so mis-understandings are not a factor. We heard Jacob Zuma, President of Chad and Vice-president of Zambia speak which was fascinating. Jacob Zuma spoke exceptionally well I thought and kept reitterating how SA should be aiming for a Green Economy. He also spoke about projects which are in the works for SA such as hydrological schemes and wind energy capture. The most interesting thing he said which I didnt know is that one small island state, Grapati, has already started being evaculated due to sea-level rise. So we have already began losing countries of the world due to human action :(

The hardest thing for myself and Nick to get used to was the formalities and protocol which goes into the whole process. Each speaker takes 5 min to welcome everyone correctly before he/she can even begin speaking...it seems crazy that time is wasted on formalities when there are so many issues that have to be tackled the next two weeks. The conference could probably be one week if there were not so many protocols. Also the countries which oppose a point which arises on the agenda also do so in such a polite, correct way. It is amazing to see such benign interaction among states with such different interests. Maybe the next few days will heat up with developing countries trying to make their voices heard.

And so it nearly begins...

Nick and myself registered for COP17 today and boy oh boy are we in for a treat. There are two massive exhibition halls- the AFRICA section where all the African countries have their stalls I assume is amazing. They have split the section into the different ecosystems found in Africa. For example, there is a Rainforest area, Desert area (i think) and other ecosystems- will check properly tomorrow when we are actually allowed in.

Today at COY was great. Hearing Kumi Naidoo speak was wonderful- he is the executive director of GreenPeace international so it was amazing hearing such an inspirational man speak. The video who Bill McKibben (founder of 350.org) recorded for us was great. What an amazing man- he has spent more days in jail this year then in his own bed because he has been campaigning for environmental issues. Go Bill- you are my hero. I also went to a wonderful, informative workshop on the Green Climate Fund which am so glad I did. I feel like I knew of the Green Climate Fund but it was great hearing all the details about it and hearing people talk about it who have been studying it since inception. I very long story short- the Green Climate Fund was started to raise funding ($100 billion) which will be used in adaptation and mitigation measures for developing countries. It is one attempt at climate justice but unfort it is still in draft form because at the last Tranfer Committee meeting in October the USA and Saudi Arabia would not sign off on the report and it therefore won't be finalized this COP, as was hoped :( Dam! is a pity considering the other 38 countries agreed on the report and because of 2 countries yet another attempt to combat climate change and empower vulnerable countries won't happen :(

COY is over but there is so much to come. Between COP and the civil proceedings (C17) I think the next 2 weeks are going to be JAM PACKED. Well done to all the COY people who partied til 3am and still made it today...very impressive!

Starting with the youth

Day 2 of Coy 7 was one that was proudly African. It started with learning about various youth initiatives around the world that have resulted in successes. This informative session was followed by lessons around the diversity of the coy 7 delegates and how we all have the opportunity to make a substantial difference in the climate change movement.

But the day was truly highlighted by the climate change caravan and the story of their great trek towards Durban, South Africa from Nairobi Kenya for cop 17. Their heartening stories informed and educated us. Day 2 also say the 1st meeting of what will hopefully develop into a South African youth coalition. This working group involved many different sections of the south African youth. From official university organisations to individuals who joined simply knowing thex want to make a difference. These inspiring individuals showed US what difference an individual can make. The working group was established in the hopes of not only forming a South African youth coalition, it also had the view of developing homegrown stratergies and initiatives that could help raise awareness and spead the word of climate change in SA.

my first day~ COY7

I unfortunately couldnt attend day 1 of COY yest as I was driving down from JHB but attended today. What an awesome gathering to be apart of! there is such a positive vibe and energy amongst all the people. A highlight for me was seeing the presentation by Will on the Tarsands Action ca,paign which took place in Washington DC and actually postponed the construction of a oil pipeline from Canada to the USA called the Keystone XL pipeline. I love hearing stories like his because it makes me feel like us humans still have a voice and the ability to sway the deciosn-makers. Being associated with the environmental management field I find myself becoming quite wary/cynical of how much impact us (the public) can influence decison-makers ~so I become ecstatic when i hear stories were the public opinion was considered.

Highlight number two was meeting a few of the Caravan people. To explain a bit~ the caravan cosisted of 6 trucks of people (think was like 100 people) who travelled from Nairobi to Durban, it took them 3 weeks and all the way raised awareness around climate change and got everyone they met along the way to sign a petition. Was so cool seeing this enormous group form all different countries uniting for the fight against climate change. The group is called We Have Faith Act Now. What an inspirational group of people!

Because I was volunteering I unfort missed the workshop on "how REDD++ has failed" but it truely was nice man-ing the food stand and handing out delicious vegan lunches to everyone. Thanks Steve (the vegan food guy) who supplied the food. Being a vegetarian I was delighted about the delish lunch. I wont get started about my strong feeling about vegetarianism but dont worry.. that blog will come :)

Tomorrow Nick and I are off to get our programme and offically register for COP17. Exciting!

Who speaks and who listens? Experiences from the first day of COY7 in Durban

COY7 stands for “Conference of Youth”, which happens as a gathering of youth organisations before the start of COP in order to give different youth organisations a chance to network and learn from each other, as well as about the COP process.

So, appropriately, our COP17 experience begins here: with the youth. And youth there were – 300 or so, packed into a lecture theatre at UKZN’s Howard College, bustling and waiting for the day to begin. Our team – about 6 of us – were feeling equally inspired after helping with registration and meeting a ridiculous number of delegates from around the world.

Diversity seems key – we learn from each other, share experiences and difference. But at the same time, unity forms an important underlying theme of the “global international youth climate movement”. It’s necessary for lobbying governments, for advocating change and forming a coherent force. But whose unity?

Conference of Youth plenery session, UKZN Durban

Treating the conference as an anthropological exercise raises many interesting questions about what I’d like to call (albeit rather snobbishly) the “politics of articulation”, or, the way in which stuff gets said, who says it, and who listens to it.

Impressingly there are lots of COY delegates from Africa – about half the delegation – with representatives from South Africa, Kenya, Malawi and many other countries. I was proud at this fact and felt a sort of entitled solidarity with the “African movement”, if it can be reified as such. Even though the people running COY sessions were mostly Austrailian or international, at least a lot of the delegates were local, I thought to myself.

But what does locality mean in the face of a global movement? Who speaks, and who gets listened to? In a lot of senses, “Africa” (the continent is sadly still not being diversified, even by myself) is being represented in global talks and movements around the world, just as it is at COY. But does this mean that “African” voice gets listened to in the same way in which other organisations from the global north get listened to?

I think that in a lot of ways, our ways of knowing and expression are listened to but not fully acknowledged or comprehended at these kind of gatherings. There are lots of African voices speaking out, but there is something very uncomfortable about the way in which we are ‘facilitated’ to speak by others, and the way in which they in turn listen to what we have to say.

Of course, the “global north”, in their experience and monetary advantage, do have a lot to teach us and “build capacity”, especially at the kind of political gatherings such as COP which require a specific kind of articulation to be taken even remotely seriously. And that’s what we need.

So perhaps, the “politics of articulation” debate is one to engage with at a deeper level, and not just the immediate proceedings over the next few days. In the long run, we need to be aiming to get African voice actually listened to, and not just heard, and we may need to put that on pause for the upcoming COP. But I’ll certainly be looking at how these ideas play out in the official delegation and civil society meetings next week.

Tiny bit of background

Three very lucky UCT students have been allowed the opportunity to attend the annual World Climate Change Conference which takes place in good old mzanzi, but more specifically Durban this year. This global conference is hosted by the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) and is the meeting ground where negotiations take place to strengthen the global response to climate change. This is the 17th meeting of its kind, hence COP17 (COP stands for Conference of the Parties). Last years conference was in Cancun, Mexico and the year before was Copenhagen, Denmark~ showing how big a deal it is that it is happening in durban!

The Meaning of Activism

"This is the largest social movement in all of human history. No one knows its scope, and how it functions is more mysterious than what meets the eye. What does meet the eye is compelling: coherent, organic, self-organised congregations involving tens of millions of people dedicated to change."  - Paul Hawken in Blessed Unrest.

 I'm writing this after making a giant polar bear head. True - after googling "climate change activism", creating a wire frame, some sketches, and some fluffy white material later - I'm the owner of my own polar bear. In stitches of laughter, I ramble around the house. My sister is sceptical. "Is this what COP17 is really about?" she sighs, clearly embarrassed at my antics.

"Of course! If you're serious about protesting about climate change, you have to dress up as a polar bear!" I laugh, ironically. But it's a good question: What the hell does dressing up as a polar bear mean in protesting about climate change? How does the average African citizen relate to such an expression, if at all? 

Indeed, polar bears and melting icecaps - which have somewhat characterised the environmentalist movement in the past - have little relevance for personifying the movement in Africa. Still, there’s something special about getting ready to be part of the global “climate camaraderie” around COP17. Wearing a polar bear outfit seems something of a rite of passage into the world of environmental activism; a ritual of solidarity in a global environmental movement. 

It’s a sad thing, I think to myself, that we still seem to thinking about climate change and sustainability in such ice-cap-melting metaphors of the West. Does our dressing-up point to larger systems of hegemonic dominance? And if so, what does it mean for me to adopt this system when representing Africa at COP17 in a week’s time?

Yes, the movement in Africa is manifest in ways much more practicable and appropriate than melting ice-caps. Our “polar bear” is more: it’s blood-red sunsets, it’s gorging rivers, it’s Wangari Maathai’s muddy hands, it’s seeds, and roots, and animals. Mostly, it’s hopeful, and diverse, and fundamental. 

And yes, I’ve made a polar bear. But it’s not necessarily a subservience to the west that made me do it. It’s a sign of solidarity; a connection to the global movement, which doesn’t take away from the fact that the movement in Africa is as alive and relevant – in fact, quite the contrary. 

In a weeks time Africa’s youth will join hands for what they believe in, and if it’ll help to be dressed as a bear, then that’s how they’ll do it.