Climate Change @ Gowlings: December 31, 2010
Mondaq Business Briefing › Canada Law Articles in English (2011)
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Climate Change @ Gowlings: December 31, 2010
Edited by Douglas W. Clarke
Contents Cancun Climate Conference Results in Progress But No Successor to Kyoto Know Thy (Carbon) Self British Columbia Gets Input on its Proposed Cap and Trade System Saskatchewan's Climate Change Legislation Québec Amends its GHG Reporting Regulations Climate Change Disclosure and Staff Notice 51-333 Environmental Reporting Guidance Carbon Market Watch Cancun Climate Conference Results in Progress But No Successor to Kyoto By Ian Richler The global climate change talks in Cancun wrapped up on December 11, 2010 without an agreement to extend or replace the Kyoto Protocol, but with somewhat vague commitments to transfer money and technology to the developing world. It is a measure of how far expectations have fallen since Copenhagen last year that Cancun was viewed by most as a success. Although the hard decisions on what will happen when the first Kyoto compliance period ends in 2012 were deferred to the next climate summit in Durban, South Africa next November-December, a number of "building blocks" were put in place at Cancun. These include the following: The emission reduction targets adopted by developed countries at Copenhagen have been integrated into the UN framework, however they are still not legally enforceable. (Canada's commitment under the Copenhagen Accord is a 17% reduction in emissions from 2005 levels by 2020.) The Cancun agreements urge these countries to "increase the ambition" of these targets. These countries are also to submit annual greenhouse gas inventories and biennial reports on their progress in achieving their targets. Developing countries have committed to take "nationally appropriate mitigation actions" to reduce emissions, and to provide biennial progress reports. A registry will be created to match mitigation actions with finance and technology from developed countries. Developing countries were encouraged to develop strategies to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation ("REDD+"), and developed countries were urged to support such measures. These strategies are to conform with a number of prescribed guidelines – for example, they are to show respect for the knowledge and rights of indigenous peoples. A Green Climate Fund was established to support climate change projects, programs and policies in the developing world. Half of the Fund's board members will be from developing countries and half from developed ones. In the first three years, the ...See the full content of this document
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