Matters relating to Articles 2.3 and 3.14 of the Kyoto Protocol: impacts of implementation of response measures
1. Overview
This submission contains the views of the Australian Government on issues that could be addressed at a joint workshop to address matters relating to Articles 2.3 and 3.14 of the Kyoto Protocol, as requested under Subsidiary Body for Implementation conclusion SBI/2010/L.23, Paragraph 3 and Subsidiary Body on Scientific and Technological Advice conclusion SBSTA/2010/L.16, Paragraph 3. Australia also draws attention to its previous submissions on the Impact of Response Measures.
The Cancun Agreements delivered a balanced package of decisions across all UNFCCC bodies. Some items are ready for implementation, and others require further elaboration. Guided by the Cancun Agreements, it will be important to use the negotiating forums at our disposal to progress work in a coordinated way, utilising the bodies best suited and considering joint work programs where useful.
Australia welcomes the opportunity to submit its views under the Cancun Agreements on impacts of response measures. In overview, Australia’s considers that:
- the joint workshop should focus on sharing information on the actual and observed impacts arising from Parties’ mitigation measures on the poorest and most vulnerable countries;
- the workshop be encouraged to take a scientific approach to this topic to better understand the real impacts Parties may face in the future;
- the secretariat host the workshop at a time and location that would allow for maximum participation by developing countries at minimum cost, that is, in conjunction with either the 34th or 35th Session of the Subsidiary Bodies in 2011;
- the workshop should leverage and coordinate with work undertaken elsewhere to best meet our objectives of building consensus on a forward workplan.
2. Joint workshop to address matters relating to Article 2, paragraph 3 and Article 3, paragraph 14 of the Kyoto Protocol
At Cancun, the SBI and the SBSTA invited Parties and relevant organisations to submit to the secretariat further information and views on issues that could be addressed at a joint workshop to address matters relating to Article 3, paragraph 14, and Article 2, paragraph 3, of the Kyoto Protocol. Australia looks forward to participating in the joint workshop.
The joint workshop will be an opportunity for greater cooperation and information sharing to deepen understanding of the potential consequences and any observed impacts arising from Parties’ measures to mitigate climate change.
All Parties must prepare for the changes we face as we move to a low-carbon world and take advantage of the opportunities these changes will create for sustainable growth.
Some Parties, of course, are better equipped than others to meet this challenge. With that in mind, Australia proposes that the joint workshop focus on how to best assist the poorest and most vulnerable countries, including Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and the Small Island Developing States (SIDS), to diversify their economies and build economic resilience.
Australia also sees value in a focus on sharing information on actual and observed impacts arising from Parties’ mitigation measures, given the relatively abstract nature of discussions on this topic in the UNFCCC to date. A more scientific approach to this topic is needed to better understand the real impacts Parties’ may face in the future.
Australia encourages the secretariat to host this workshop at a time and location that would allow for maximum participation, particularly by developing countries, at minimum cost, consistent with paragraph 2. In our view, the most efficient arrangement would be for the workshop to be held during or immediately after the 34th Session of the Subsidiary Bodies in Bonn, or immediately before the 35th Session of the Subsidiary Bodies in Durban, consistent with the instructions to the Secretariat set out in paragraphs 2 and 4 of the Conclusions (SBI/2010/L.23 and SBSTA/2010/L.16).
In addition, the joint workshop should leverage work undertaken elsewhere to best meet our objectives of deepening understanding of this topic and building consensus on a forward work plan. The joint workshop should therefore be held in conjunction, or back-to-back with the workshop to discuss the potential impacts of response measures agreed in paragraph 9 of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation conclusion (SBI/2010/L.34/Rev.1) on matters relating to Article 4, paragraphs 8 and 9, of the Convention (progress on the implementation of decision 1/CP.10). The issues for discussion at these workshops overlap heavily, and should be consolidated to maximise efficiency and coherency across negotiating streams.