PHL to push for access to climate funds in Cancun talks

The Philippine delegation to this year’s United Nation Climate Change Conference (UNCCC) in Cancun, Mexico, will push for direct access to international funding to cope with negative effects of climate change, one of the country’s lead negotiators to the summit said. Climate Change Commissioner Naderev Saño said that since the conference is expected to be an “adaptation finance summit," the country’s 51-man delegation plans to “negotiate strongly for adaptation funding" at the Cancun climate talks. “The main thing that we want to get from this summit is clarity on funding. We want the Philippines to be able to gain access to adaptation finance," he said in an interview with GMANews.TV. Adaptation Fund refers to a financial mechanism that is supposed to benefit developing countries that are suffering from extreme weather events as a consequence of climate change. Saño and his fellow negotiators, including newly appointed Climate Change Commission vice chairperson Lucille Sering, will be leaving for Cancun on Wednesday to participate in the climate conference—the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Cancun meet, which will be held from November 29 to December 10, is a follow-up to last year’s Copenhagen summit, which failed to produce a legally binding treaty to address global climate change. During last year’s summit, developed countries, through the controversial Copenhagen Accord, pledged “to provide new and additional funding" for adaptation to “most vulnerable" developing countries, especially small island developing states and those in the African continent. During her speech in Copenhagen last year, then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo stressed the Philippines’ vulnerability to extreme weather events brought about by climate change, although she stopped short of joining other developing nation’s call for adaptation funding from rich nations. Saño said that while he is “optimistic" that there will be clarity on the adaptation funding architecture in this year’s summit, the Philippine delegation will have to ensure that the country will be included in the list of states with direct access to the funds. “We want direct access to these financial allocations. We will work hard to be included in the priority list for the adaptation funding, because we are really vulnerable to the effects of climate change," he said. No breakthrough agreement? Although Philippine negotiators are hopeful that financial obligations of developed countries will be made clear in Cancun, civil society organizations think no breakthrough agreement will be formulated in the summit. “Based on the different feedbacks I’ve heard, it looks like no breakthrough agreement will be reached in Cancun. Mukhang magiging patikim lang ito ng next summit sa South Africa (This will just be a taste of what to expect in the next summit in South Africa)," said Rowena Bolinas of the Aksyon Klima, a nationwide network of civil society groups, in a separate interview. She said the Cancun summit will more likely turn out to be a “step" toward a new global climate change agreement. Even UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon expressed doubts earlier this year that a new deal will be reached at the COP 16, and suggested taking small steps in reaching a wider consensus among the parties instead of aiming for a sweeping pact. Saño appealed against downplaying expectations for Cancun at this point, saying the summit should become a “fruitful" one for all the parties. “Hindi kami papayag na walang mangyari doon (We’ll make something happen there). What’s the point of going there if we won’t accomplish anything? This is an urgent year," he said. He added that a set of decisions should at least be reached in the summit, especially regarding developed countries’ second commitment period to the Kyoto Protocol. “I hope the developed countries will be on board sa mga decisions na ito, especially regarding mitigation. We have to make something out of Cancun. The whole world is watching," he said. - KBK, GMANews.TV