Real ambition vs. false solutions: What’s at stake during COP26? Published: 27 October 2021 Analysis COP26 takes place against the backdrop of nationalist health policies with daunting consequences, failed promises to adequately scale up climate action and financial support, and an unprecedented push for false solutions that divert global attention from the urgent need to phase out fossil fuels. By Sebastien Duyck, Erika Lennon, Francesca Mingrone, Nikki Reisch and Lien Vandamme
Climate Action Network: “We know our duty and responsibility” Published: 19 October 2021 Interview CAN – the Climate Action Network - is the largest international civil society network, that has monitored the UN climate negotiations for many years. Whether at national or international level, how can civil society participation be ensured at all in times of pandemic? What does this mean for the capacity for action and strategy of a global network like CAN? A conversation between Tasneem Essop, Executive Director of CAN International and Barbara Unmüßig, President of the Heinrich Böll Foundation By Barbara Unmüßig
5 years later - Happy Birthday, Paris Agreement? Published: 14 December 2020 Analysis December 12, 2020, will be the 5th anniversary of the adoption of the Paris Climate Agreement. This analysis provides important materials and pursues the questions: Where do we stand in dealing with the climate crisis? What false solutions must be avoided? And how can we push the urgently needed radical course change in pursuit of climate justice? By Lili Fuhr, Linda Schneider , Liane Schalatek and Lisa Tostado
A Process on the Brink of Collapse Confronts a World on the Move Published: 20 December 2019 Analysis The governments gathered in Madrid failed to embrace the urgent need for progress towards climate justice and higher ambitions. By Sebastien Duyck and Erika Lennon
Social unrest in Chile and its effects on the climate agenda and COP25 Published: 27 November 2019 Analysis Hosting COP 25 in Chile would have been an excellent chance to visualize the continent’s environmental problems and improve the space for negotiations. Now, Latin American civil society is making an effort to make their voices heard in Madrid. By Ingrid Wehr, Sebastián Aynzúa and Javiera Valencia
Amid Climate Crisis, Will Governments Deliver Ambitious Climate Action in Madrid? Published: 22 November 2019 Background Against the backdrop of increasing climate destruction and mass mobilizations calling for climate leadership, COP-25 must deliver urgent, rights-based climate action. By Erika Lennon and Sebastien Duyck
‘How dare you?’: Pledges announced at the Climate Action Summit won’t do enough Published: 4 October 2019 Analysis “Climate Week” in New York has wrapped up. Here Peter Riggs of the Climate Land Ambition and Rights Alliance (CLARA) analyzes some of the most significant commitments from last week’s Summit, with special emphasis on commitments coming out of the ‘Nature Based Solutions’ workstream. By Peter Riggs
High Expectations from ‘Nature Based Solutions’ during the Climate Action Summit Published: 18 September 2019 Background This one-day event in New York is intended to spur new commitments from countries, and greater overall ambition in achieving under-two-degree warming pathways. Peter Riggs, from the international network CLARA, tells how to evaluate the commitments. By Peter Riggs
Great expectations, low execution: The Katowice climate change conference COP 24 Published: 8 January 2019 Assessement The Katowice climate package brings minor progress, but COP 24 failed to deliver on the most fundamental issues such as raising ambition of national contributions, implementing human rights, and ensuring support for developing countries. By Don Lehr and Liane Schalatek
What's at stake for COP 24? Published: 27 November 2018 Briefing The Katowice UN Climate Change Conference will take place in Katowice from the 3rd till the 14th of December 2018. By Don Lehr
Katowice: A European coal capital goes green Published: 11 January 2018 Nowhere in the EU is smog more suffocating than in southern Poland. This year, the polluted Polish mining city Katowice will host the COP24 climate conference. Ahead of that, change is in the air — and on the ground. By Richard Fuchs
“We will not drown, we are here to fight”: An assessment of the Fiji COP 23 in Bonn Published: 23 November 2017 In depth analysis COP 23 was one COP in two zones: The Bula zone was the site of the official negotiations - with little relevance to what happens in the real world. The Bonn zone hosted dozens of civil society kiosks and hundreds of events searching for real solutions. By Lili Fuhr, Liane Schalatek and Don Lehr
The Fiji UN Climate Summit 2017, COP23: what is at stake in Bonn? Published: 1 November 2017 The UN climate summit COP 23 will convene from 6 to 17 November 2017 in Bonn, Germany, under the presidency of the government of Fiji. This article provides an overview of key issues at stake and a summary of our expectations for the COP 23. By Don Lehr, Lili Fuhr and Liane Schalatek
With or without the Paris Agreement –Trump won’t have the last word on US climate policy Published: 2 June 2017 President Donald Trump declared that he would start measures to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, putting his country back into the “rogue state” category in international climate negotiations. By Liane Schalatek and Nora Löhle
The Marrakesh Climate Negotiations – a Mirror of a Divided World and Silent Europe Published: 7 December 2016 Compared to COP21 where the EU had a decisive bridge-building role between developed and developing countries in leading a strong climate coalition, in Marrakesh Europe appeared silent and divided. By Dr. Radostina Primova, Damjan Bogunovic and Oksana Aliyeva
Geoengineering is not the only answer Published: 6 December 2016 Parties to the CBD need to send a strong message to their climate counterparts to find real solutions that work for ecosystems and people instead of offering quick technofixes. By Lili Fuhr
“We’ll always have Paris” Published: 1 December 2016 At the UN’s COP 22 climate conference in Marrakech, the international community closed ranks despite (or perhaps because of?) the election of Donald Trump as the next U.S. president. By Lili Fuhr, Liane Schalatek and Simon Ilse
Marrakech: modest progress on loss and damage, but more on the horizon Published: 25 November 2016 Marrakech was never going to write history on loss and damage in the same way that Paris did in 2015. Whilst the progress made in the Paris Agreement was tangible at Marrakech, rich countries didn’t allow a real breakthrough yet. The Marrakech talks did, however, lay some groundwork for future progress. By Julie-Anne Richards
Radical Realism About Climate Change Published: 8 November 2016 Last December in Paris, 196 governments agreed on the need to limit global warming to 1.5°C. But political constraints are causing some to advocate solutions that will do more harm than good. By Lili Fuhr
Loss and damage at COP22 – how do we top Paris? Published: 2 November 2016 Loss and damage is when climate change goes beyond what it is possible to adapt to such as typhoons or frequent droughts. The Paris Agreement made progress on those issues. COP22 in Marrakesh should now clarify the question of loss and damage finance. By Julie-Anne Richards
