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\nIt has been a busy first week attending the UN Climate conference COP22 as an observer, with the end of the week culminating in the first ever climate march in Marrakech today.<\/p>\n
\nIt has been a busy first week attending the UN Climate conference COP22 as an observer, with the end of the week culminating in the first ever climate march in Marrakech today.<\/p>\n
There are a myriad of activities going on at the Conference of the Parties (or COP for short) and in the city generally, so you need to keep a focus. As I have NGO observer credentials, my main focus is in the UN Blue zone. I have attended negotiating sessions, press conferences, side-events and Australian delegation briefings. <\/p>\n
There has been much said about the shadow of the US election on the climate conference and what a Trump Presidency might mean moving forward. The diplomats here had their heads down as there is a substantial work schedule for working out the finer details and rulebook of the Paris Agreement. In fact I have heard extra sessions have been put on: there is a real appetite to carry through with the Paris Commitment. It has naturally affected the mood, but the momentum for action is still palpable. In warnings by China to the US on climate action<\/a> (Financial Times<\/em>) we can already see China stepping up in a leadership role. I don’t think India will be far behind. <\/p>\n The ratification by Australia of the Paris Agreement<\/a> and the Doha amendment to the Kyoto Protocol actually brought a small cheer in CAN daily meeting, for it’s timing, almost immediately after the US election result. <\/p>\n I attended two sessions of relevance. The first was the US climate Action Network on climate policy after the US election<\/a><\/p>\n