LOOKING AHEAD TO THE INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE NEGOTIATIONS IN LIMA FOR COP20

 

 

 “LOOKING AHEAD TO THE INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE NEGOTIATIONS IN LIMA FOR COP20”

 

 

PRESENTATION BY

GERMAN VERA

 

 

(WEDNESDAY 5th MARCH, 2014, WASHINGTON COLLEGE OF LAW, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY, WASHINGTON DC)

 

 

 

(Check against delivery)

Professor Claudio Grossman, Dean of the Law School of the American University;

 

Professor David Hunter, Director of the International Legal Studies Program of the American University;

 

Former Defense Attaché of the Peruvian Representation of Peru to the OAS, General Jaime Salinas Sedo;

 

Ladies and gentlemen;

 

Allow me to thank first and foremost Professor David Hunter for inviting me to the Washington College of Law of the American University on this beautiful afternoon.

 

David has been very kind, generous and supportive with several generations of Latin American students in this prestigious university in the nation´s capital.

 

Likewise, I would like to thank Dean Claudio Grossman, a leading expert in the area of international law and in the field of human rights for his kindness and friendship.

 

I remember we had a dinner with Dean Grossman in Panama in 2012 with other graduates of the LLM program. It was such a lovely evening with delicious chilean wine. For me one of the best ones in the world.

 

Also, I’m particularly proud to be here with our former Defense Attaché at the Peruvian Representation to the Organization of American States, General Jaime Salinas, who did such an outstanding job some years ago in our Representation.

 

I have to tell you that today I feel like Alfonso Cuarón, you know the Mexican movie Director that won the “Golden Globe” a few weeks ago for best Director for his film “Gravity”. He also won the Oscar, right?

 

He asked the evening when he won the “Golden Globe” award for the sympathy of the audience, in particular for his thick spanish accent.

 

Having said that, it’s always wonderful to be in this remarkable, beautiful, historic building where several generations of professors and students have devoted their efforts to the noble discipline of international law.

 

 

Presentation

 

The title of my presentation today is “Looking Ahead to the International Climate Change Negotiations in Lima for COP20”.

 

I also will take advantage of this opportunity to talk to you about my recent book “Climate change in International Law. A Vision for Citizens and Business in Peru and Latin America”, which fortunately pretty much covers the aspects of my presentation.

 

I have to tell you that the foreword of my book has been written by Professor Hunter. And although my book is in spanish, a translation in English is forthcoming for the COP 20 in December with the support of the Finish Embassy in Lima.

 

Also, I am very honored to announce that David will present the english version of my book in Lima next december.

 

As you know the 20th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Climate Change Convention will be conducted in the capital of my country, the city of Lima, from the first to the 12^th of December.

 

Delegations from around 194 countries will attend this international summit. On average, more than 12 thousand people from all over the world will come to Peru in december, making this the largest event ever held in my country.

 

About the topic of Climate Change, US State Secretary John Kerry has indicated that the threat of climate change is one of the most important challenges of the international agenda, since its effects are increasingly visible.

 

The effects of climate change can be noticed every day, when we see the melting glaciers in Peru, when we notice the modification of the hydrological cycles in South America, and when we observe floods, tsunamis and hurricanes in the United States, Asia, and Central America.

 

And truth be told, the international legal remedies, the Climate Change Convention and the Kyoto Protocol, are insufficient to address this threat to humanity.

 

As you know the international financial crisis began in 2008 and it was in 2009 when during the Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen, the world changed its approach on the issue of climate change and developed countries simply stopped meeting their Kyoto commitments and therefore all countries of the world were released to solve their problems related to climate change in an individual manner. This situation is very regrettable.

 

However, since the threat of climate change does not recognize national boundaries, international cooperation in solving this problem is essential. There lies the importance of the Climate Summit that will be carried out in my country next year.

 

I want to show you now the official logo of the COP20 in Lima.

 

Regarding the official logo Manuel Pulgar Vidal, the peruvian Minister of Environment has stated that:

 

"The logo of the COP20 represents the planet. It consists of 20 rings. The inner ring is red which represents the increase of temperature in the atmosphere by the presence of greenhouse gases that generates climate change. The ring 20 is blue, as a sign of optimism for an agreement that would stabilize the temperature of the planet”.

 

The COP20 will continue in Lima what was agreed at the COP19 in Warsaw, which was held in November of last year. In Lima, we and the world expect that an agreement of a new Convention on Climate Change can be reached to be adopted in the COP21 in Paris, in the year 2015.

 

It is expected that in Paris a new binding Convention will be adopted to allow countries to continue growing economically but at the same time allowing them to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases that cause global warming and climate change.

 

The central problem of the current negotiation is to adopt a universal agreement in 2015 which will give leverage to the ultimate objective of the Convention, that is, to achieve stabilization of greenhouse gases at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.

 

This objective affects many public and private interests that comprised several economic sectors that generates emissions such as electricity, transportation, industry, agriculture, deforestation (singularly important for Peru, because my country is the fourth with tropical forest area in the world) and waste management of solids and liquids.

 

This situation has led, on the one hand, to old North-South differences and on the other hand, has created new divergences on historical responsibility and its implications for the type and extent of obligations to be assumed by developed countries.

 

Therefore, the subject of financial funding, capacity building and technology transfer are particularly important in the negotiation in order to improve resilience to combat the visible effects of climate change.

 

Beyond the substantive disagreements, several procedural differences have created a crisis of confidence between the parties.

 

This crisis of confidence could be overcome in Lima only if all countries make concessions to achieve a global binding agreement with ambitious and credible domestic commitments.

 

Allow me to quote now President of Perú, Ollanta Humala Tasso in relation to the forthcoming COP 20 to be celebrated in Lima.

 

President Humala made this statement in the recent Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC in spanish) held in Havana last January. The President said in that opportunity:

 

"The Lima COP20 preparatory process involves intense work, both in the organization and in the management of the agreements being set on different levels so that, in the near future, we hope to have in 2015, a new regime to fight against climate change.”

The President added that: "to achieve this, it is necessary that the international community make concrete commitments to globally mitigate emissions, particularly and especially in Latin America."

 

He also mentioned that: "urgent efforts of adaptation should be made, and is necessary to channel to the developing countries the resources, knowledge and technology already developed in the industrialized world. Peru is aware of the harmful effects of climate change and wants to show its solidarity with the people who suffer the adverse effects of climate change".

 

The venue of the meeting will be the new Lima Convention Center that is being built at this moment. It is located in the district of San Borja in Lima.

 

Please allow me to show some pictures of the Convention Center where the COP20 will be developed.

 

Why Peru was selected to host the COP20?

 

Now I would like to explain why the COP 20 will take place in my country. First of all, Peru was nominated by the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC in spanish) to organize this conference.

 

But on the other hand, it is because my country has the adequate conditions to organize the COP 20 that it was selected.

 

According to what experts say Peru is the star of Latin American economy. My country had an average economic growth of 6.4% from 2002 to 2012.

 

Peru is one of the fastest growing economies in both the Latin American region and the world.

 

In 2013, the economic growth of Peru was of 5.4%, higher than the Latin American average figure that was around 2.2%.

 

Similarly, inflation in my country is below 2.5%.

 

Also in Peru poverty has been reduced from 59% in 2004 to 26% in 2013. According to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), half of Peruvian families are now in the middle class.

 

However, truth be told, Peru still faces some problems in relation to the environment.

 

Since the main economic activity in Peru is mining some unresolved issues between this activity and indigenous populations still exist. Illegal mining is also another problem for my country.

Peru and climate change

 

During the Conference "Peru: Strenghtening and Investing in Water Management" organized in Lima by the Americas Society and the Council of the Americas last year, Peruvian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Eda Rivas, talk about climate change in Peru.

 

Minister Rivas said in that opportunity that Peru is the third-most vulnerable country when it comes to climate change effects, even though it remains a source of many natural resources.

 

Minister Rivas also said in that occasion that: "Peruvians are used to having many natural resources. Now we have to be more innovative to stop wasting them".

 

I fully agree with her.

 

As you know Peru is a country with one of the largest water reserves in the world.

 

I can tell you that Peruvian government is fully committed to make this Summit a successful one.

 

Peru and the negotiations in the COP 20

 

The COP 20 in Peru will try to negotiate and close a global agreement that will be adopted in Paris in 2015.

 

Formally this conference should close the deals on the final list of items that will be part of the universal agreement of 2015.

 

Politically it is presumed that the Conference should contribute decisively to unlock major disagreements on mitigation, technology and financing.

 

In this perspective it should be stressed that the success of the overall process and the success of the Conference of Lima will depend on the “Leaders Summit on Climate Change” convened by the Secretary General of the United Nations in September of this year in New York.

 

Peruvian Presidency of COP 20 and the Peruvian team of diplomats and important members of the government leaded by the Ministry of Environment will try to be consistent with the Peruvian position on climate change, which can be described as moderate on several sensitive issues.

 

In fact, Peru has insisted in his status of highly vulnerable country to climate change and claimed, therefore, an ambitious and binding global new agreement.

 

Along with other countries, such as the Association of Independent States of Latin America and the Caribbean (AILAC in spanish), -- group comprised by Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama and Mexico --; Peru has reiterated that developing countries including middle income ones, should receive predictable and meaningful financial assistance.

 

Peru has also accepted that developing countries could undertake mitigation commitments but only on the basis of the application of the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" according to their respective capabilities, for which it has proposed a program that contains clear economic incentives for national mitigation strategies and adaptation.

 

Successful experiences of Peruvian enterprises in reducing their carbon footprint

 

Now, I would like to come back to my book. Definitely one of the most important elements that we need to combat climate change is to create more industries that are sustainable and friendly to the environment. Sounds good, right?

 

In my book I explain how three Peruvian companies: an airline, a bank and a university have successfully managed to reduce their carbon footprint.

 

Let me put only the example of the airline LAN Peru, a Peruvian company whose shareholders are mostly from Chilean origin.

 

Lan Peru, in 2012, neutralized the equivalent of 7,000 tons of CO2 emissions. The certification of the reduction of the "carbon footprint" of LAN Peru was made by a certification company called "Spanish Association for Standardization and Certification" (AENOR).

 

The neutralization was done through the purchase of certified CO2 bonds for a reforestation project with native forest species in Ucayali, a region in the Amazonian area of my country.

 

As pointed out by the same airline, "the scope of measuring the carbon footprint of the company in Peru considered all activities that generates direct and indirect emissions of Greenhouse Gases (GHG), such as emissions resulting from air operations; HVAC equipment, electric power consumption of sales offices and administration, ground equipment emissions from transportation of employees and business air travel (mainly gasoline and diesel)."

 

This is an interesting way of doing business and at the same time protect the environment, reducing the greenhouse emissions that creates global warming.

 

Another example is COPA Airlines in Panama that also contributes through a panamenian NGO with projects of reforestation in its country.

 

 

Conclusions

 

To sum up my presentation I would like to stress that the problem of climate change is not only an environmental one. It is fundamentally an economic and political problem.

 

To solve this problem is necessary that the international community reach consensus and make compromises to adopt a new global convention that replace the Rio de Janeiro Convention on climate change of 1992 and the Kyoto Protocol of 1997.

 

This new agreement should be adopted in the COP21 in Paris. Peru in the COP20 will work towards that objective.

 

At the end of my speech I want to thank again to the Washington College of Law and Professor David Hunter for having me today.

 

Similarly, I would like to thank to “El Comercio” newspaper of Lima and to the “Washington Hispanic” newspaper here in DC.

 

Finally, I thank the Embassy and the Consulate of Peru in Washington. Likewise, I wish to thank to my colleagues in the Peruvian Representation to the Organization of American States (OAS).

 

And finally to all of you, distinguished attendants for your presence here.

 

Thank you very much for your attention.