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Conference of the Parties (COP)

IISD at COP-14/CMP 4

From December 1 to 12, the global climate community came together in Poznań, Poland, to participate in 14th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 4th Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (COP/MOP 4). Negotiations took place on a breadth of topics, with decisions made related to technology transfer, the Clean Development Mechanism, reducing emissions from deforestation (REDD), capacity building, national communications, and operationalization of the Adaptation Fund under the Kyoto Protocol. The primary focus of the negotiations, however, was on long-term cooperative action. In preparation for an anticipated agreement during COP-15 on the future of the international climate change regime after 2012, Parties considered "a shared vision for long-term cooperative action" and discussed key issues related to the four pillars of the Bali Action Plan—mitigation, adaptation, technology and finance. These discussions have set the stage for a hectic negotiation schedule leading up to COP-15 in Copenhagen, Denmark, at the end of 2009.

IISD's Reporting Services team again provided full coverage (in English, French, Spanish and Chinese) of the negotiations and of the conference's official side events through the Earth Negotiations Bulletin and ENB on the Side respectively.

The staff and associates of IISD's Climate Change and Energy programs also hosted or presented at a series of events held in parallel with the negotiations:

Friday, December 5

• Sealing the Deal in Copenhagen: Some Views from Asia
  During this session organized by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), John Drexhage summarized the findings of IISD's publication A Way Forward (PDF - 1.9 mb), which assesses the four pillars of the Bali Action Plan from a Canadian perspective.

Saturday, December 6

• Linking Climate Change Adaptation, Forests and Biodiversity
  Béatrice Riché provided an overview of the project screening tool CRiSTAL during this session held as part of Forest Day. The session was hosted by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and Tropical Forest and Climate Change Adaptation (TroFCCA).

Sunday, December 7

• Policy Making in a Changing Climate
  IISD's session during Development and Climate Days at COP-14 explored the integration of adaptation to climate change into policy processes and the need to go beyond mainstreaming adaptation towards the development of policies that are adaptive in and of themselves. Moderated by Anne Hammill, presentations were made during this session by:

  • Linking Researchers with Adaptation Policy Spaces: A Framework (PDF - 133 kb) by Lars Otto Naess, Institute of Development Studies

  • Influencing Policy on Climate Change from the Bottom Up: Increasing Community Resilience to Drought in Makueni District in Kenya (PDF - 2.2 mb) by Margaret Opondo, University of Kenya

  • Adaptive Policies: Seven Things Policymakers Should Know to Craft Better Policies in Today's Dynamic and Uncertain World (PDF - 738 kb) by John Drexhage, International Institute for Sustainable Development

  • Case Examples of Adaptive Policies in India (PDF - 350 kb) by Sanjay Tomar, The Energy and Resources Institute

  Complete coverage of Development and Climate Days, including this session, was provided by IISD Reporting Services.

Monday, December 8

• Trade and investment policy, technology transfer and climate change: sustainable development nexus
  IISD's official side event, co-hosted this year with Chatham House, explored key policy linkages in the areas of IPRs, low-carbon goods liberalization, border carbon adjustment, subsidy reform and investment—giving particular focus on the implications for developing countries. The following presentations were made during this session moderated by John Drexhage (IISD) and Bernice Lee (Chatham House):

  • Border carbon adjustment for climate change (PPT - 338 kb) by Peter Wooders, International Institute for Sustainable Development

  • Liberalizing trade in green goods and services (PPT - 313 kb) by Christophe Bellmann, International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development

  • Intellectual property rights and technology transfer (PPT - 433 kb) by Bernice Lee, Chatham House

  • Investment policies and subsidy reform (PPT - 1 mb) by Aaron Cosbey, International Institute for Sustainable Development

• Emissions Trading — Complementary or alternative to a post-2012 agreement?
  John Drexhage spoke about the possible role of emissions trading systems in a future climate regime (PDF - 311 kb) during this session organized by Ecofys and held as part of the Ecoconcern Sustainable Energy Event.

As well, IISD continued to engage with the RINGO group (Research and Independent Non-Governmental Organizations) and participated in numerous formal and informal meetings and discussions.

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