France – Addressing the Challenge of Climate Change

This negotiation session under the auspices of the UN was held in Barcelona, Spain, from November 2-6, 2009. The second-to-last session before Copenhagen, it brought together more than 4,000 delegates from 180 countries; in-depth discussions were held on key topics, and concise papers were drafted that clearly showed the various options on which it is possible to negotiate in Copenhagen. These advances were possible thanks to the clear, pro-active mandate given by the political leaders to their respective negotiators following the October negotiating session.

The main results were:

• With respect to long-term objectives (shared vision): the emergence of key elements (maximum temperature increases, the level of CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere, emissions peak, reduction objectives), the review process for long-term objectives, and the suitability of the means implemented to achieve this objective.

• With respect to legal aspects: a beginning of discussions on the “legal” form of future instrument(s) to be adopted in Copenhagen

• With respect to future objectives of the developed countries that ratified the Kyoto Protocol: a grouping of the objectives on gas emission reductions on the order of 16% to 23%, compared with 1990 levels (outside of the United States), with specific details on the respective shares of forests and compensation mechanisms in these objectives, and on the challenges linked to the starting levels of the Protocol’s upcoming commitment period.

• With respect to the mechanism to be established to facilitate national emissions reduction efforts by developing countries: constructive exchanges took place and a certain consensus was achieved, reflecting the EU’s positions quite well.

• With respect to adaptation: a strengthening in capacities, forest and technology transfers, progress in the negotiations

• With respect to organizing work for Copenhagen: informal meetings led to conclusions that call for attaching new versions of the Barcelona non-papers to the minutes of the session while leaving the old versions of the negotiating text (INF.1 and INF.2) on the table.

The French delegation included representatives of the following ministries—environment, energy, sustainable development, economy and finance, foreign and European affairs, agriculture—as well as various experts. Barcelona also provided an opportunity to support Africa in its resolve to obtain an ambitious agreement and, especially, to clearly explain that the countries of the Kyoto Protocol cannot agree on figures without U.S. participation.

source :  French Ministry for Ecology, Energy and Sustainable Development
translation : French Embassy in Washington