Climate Change and Energy Programme - Current Projects

Programme News and Events

FIELD and UNEP organise COP 13 Preparatory National Workshop for Indonesian climate negotiators, Jakarta, 1-3 October 2007

FIELD assisted the Government of Indonesia in preparing for the upcoming climate negotiations in Bali (December 2007), through a series of presentations on the upcoming COP, COP/MOP, SBI, SBSTA and AWG agendas, supported by briefing exercises and negotiating exercises. The event was held in response to a request from the Indonesian government, and co-organised by FIELD, UNEP and the Indonesia Ministry of Environment.

FIELD's Workshop Presentations:
Session 1 - Basic Science of Climate Change
Session 2 - Brief Overview of Legal Framework: UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol
Session 2B - Subsidiary Bodies, UNFCCC Expert Groups, Kyoto Protocol Constituted Bodies, Secretariat
Session 3 - Post-2012 Issues under the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol & Upcoming Issues for COP 13 and COP/MOP 3

Regional COP 13 Preparatory Workshop for LDC Climate Negotiators in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 26-28 September 2007

FIELD assisted the European Capacity Building Initiative's (ECBI) East African regional workshop, giving presentations on Post-2012 issues and issues on the upcoming COP and COP/MOP agendas for Bali.

Presentation: Post-2012 Issues under the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol & Upcoming Issues for COP 13 and COP/MOP 3

Read more about FIELD's work with ECBI

FIELD lawyers support AOSIS at Vienna climate negotiations, 27-31 August 2007

FIELD lawyers M.J. Mace and Ilona Millar provided support to the Alliance of Small Island States at the fourth session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Article 3.9 and the fourth workshop of the Dialogue.

Networking on Climate and Gender in Africa, 18-19 July 2007

In collaboration with EcoWatch Africa, FIELD organised a coordinating meeting of Networking on Climate Change and Gender in Africa, in Uganda. The meeting was attended by 27 delegates from Uganda, South Africa, Kenya, Zambia and the United Kingdom. Ugandan delegates included representatives from UNDP, the Ministry of Water, Lands and Environment, the Ministry of Gender and Labor Development, the National Environment Management Authority and civil society organisations.

The two-day meeting was officially opened by Mr. Philip Gwage, Commissioner of the Ugandan Ministry of Water, Lands and Environment. Presentations made included: the global, local and gender-disaggregated impacts of climate change; NGOs' experience on climate change and gender; the international legal framework on climate change, opportunities and challenges on climate change mitigation, opportunities and challenges on climate change adaptation and gender mainstreaming in climate change.

Through a series of participatory exercises, participants developed a structure for a Network on Gender and Climate Change. Membership criteria for the network were agreed, together with key areas of initial focus and an action plan. The meeting was closed by Mrs. Rachel Musoke, Assistant Commissioner, Department of Environment Support Services, Ministry of Water, Lands and Environment.

Workshop report.

Water Governance in the Sahel, 6-8 June 2007

FIELD participated at the regional inception workshop for the IIED Sahel Water Governance Learning Group (PROGRES from its French title) in Bamako, Mali. The PROGRES programme brings together key stakeholders from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Senegal to promote better policies, laws and practices that address the governance and property rights challenges of improving access to water for farming and herding.

The inception workshop was attended by participants from local and central government, development agencies, civil society researchers and the private sector. The objectives of the workshop were to share experiences and identify common concerns about local water governance and to consider a 'learning group' approach to facilitate peer learning and exchanges of information that could promote a more informed debate at a local, national and regional level. Information about the PROGRES project can be found at www.iied.org.

FIELD contributed to the workshop by making a presentation on the management of shared water resources which looked at the role of international water law in promoting integrated catchment management of transboundary watercourses, focussing on the arrangements for sharing the resources of the Niger River Basin. FIELD also undertook informal consultations with participants about the impacts of climate change on water availability in their jurisdictions to inform separate research that FIELD and IIED are carrying out on the links between climate change and water management policy in the Niger Basin.

FIELD participated in a Many Strong Voices Planning meeting in Belize, for Arctic and SIDS groups impacted by climate change, 27-30 May 2007

FIELD gave a presentation on Adaptation and Mitigation: Inter-linkages with other Convention Processes. Many Strong Voices (MSV) recognizes that societies of the Arctic and Small Island Developing States are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change in similar ways. MSV brings together these groups in order to:

· build capacity to strengthen the role of these vulnerable regions in negotiations on greenhouse gas mitigation and on climate change adaptation;
· raise awareness about the effects of climate change on vulnerable regions;
· increase understanding of needs and solutions; and
· take action on adaptation.

Programme participants include IGOs, NGOs, government agencies, Indigenous Peoples' organizations, research institutes, communities and individuals. For more information on Many Strong Voices go to http://www.manystrongvoices.org

FIELD at the 26th meeting of the UNFCCC subsidiary bodies in Bonn, 7-18 May 2007

During the 26th session of the Subsidiary Bodies to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in May 2007, FIELD lawyers acted as legal advisors to the Federated States of Micronesia, Vanuatu and the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). Important issues discussed at the meeting included the establishment of arrangements for emission reductions from deforestation, technology transfer to developing countries and financing of climate change adaptation measures.

For many years now FIELD has provided support to the delegations of small island states and least developed countries in conjunction with international climate change negotiations. Although the issues at stake will (and already) affect many of these countries very directly they often lack the capacity and resources to effectively engage in the negotiations. Through briefing documents, preparatory workshops and hands-on assistance during the negotiation sessions, FIELD tries to create a more level playing field.

FIELD briefs Pacific Energy Officials on the Clean Development Mechanism, 23-26 April 2007

FIELD attended the Pacific Energy Minister's Meeting (PEMM) and Regional Energy Officials Meeting (REM) in the Cook Islands. The PEMM and REM were organised by the South Pacific Applied Geosciences Commission (SOPAC) and attended by 17 SOPAC member countries and representatives of regional and international organisations, non-governmental organisations and the private sector. The meetings reviewed national and regional activities and key issues associated with the energy sector.

FIELD made a presentation on Enhancing the capacity of Pacific Island Countries to Participate in the Clean Development Mechanism. A more detailed background paper was also provided as a resource to delegates. The background paper provides an overview of the operation of the CDM and looks at the steps required for PICs to participate in CDM project activities. It considers the benefits and constraints of using the CDM as a means of attracting foreign investment and technology transfer in the Pacific and explores some of the financial, technological and institutional barriers to the uptake of renewable energy and energy efficiency CDM project activities.

UNFCCC Expert Workshop on Adaptation for Small Island Developing States, Jamaica, 5-7 February 2007

FIELD attended the UNFCCC Expert Workshop on Adaptation for Small Island Developing States in Kingston, Jamaica. The meeting was hosted by the Jamaican Ministry of Local Government and Environment and was organized by the UNFCCC in collaboration with the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Environment Programme. Participants included experts from SIDS, developed countries, international organizations and non-governmental organizations. FIELD presented on insurance challenges for SIDS. For further information on this event, and to see presentations, click here.

FIELD has long assisted small island developing States in making their concerns heard on the need for innovative insurance mechanisms to assist SIDS in addressing the impacts of climate change. These impacts include increasingly frequent and severe extreme weather events. FIELD co-authored the UNFCCC background paper on Insurance-Related Actions and Risk Assessment in the Context of the UNFCCC for two UNFCCC workshops on insurance in May 2003. Click here for this paper.

In November 2003, FIELD hosted a workshop for Small Island Developing States on Insurance for Climate-Related Extreme Weather Events, in Milan, Italy. This event brought together SIDS climate experts with insurance industry representatives and NGOs to discuss approaches to the challenge of creating affordable and accessible insurance-related schemes to assist SIDS in addressing the impacts of climate change. This event was sponsored by UNDP. Click here for the workshop agenda. Click here for the workshop report from that event. Click here for FIELD's presentation.

In 2003-2004, FIELD collaborated with insurance experts and SIDS experts in the Caribbean and Pacific on a UNDP-funded paper on "Insurance, Climate-related Events and Risk Management in the Caribbean and the Pacific. " For a copy of this paper, click here.

National Workshop for Negotiators of Multilateral Environmental Agreements, Fiji, 1-2 August 2006

FIELD, SPREP and the Government of Fiji organised a workshop for Fijian negotiators, 1-2 August 2006. Using a Simple Guide for MEA Negotiators developed by FIELD with funding from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), participants took part in a series of presentations and skill-building exercises, to better understand the international negotiating process and participate more effectively on issues of interest to their government.

Pacific Workshop on Post-2012 Climate Change Strategy, Fiji, 26-28 July 2006

FIELD and WWF-South Pacific Programme co-hosted a workshop on Post-2012 issues for key Pacific climate negotiators. The three-day workshop took place from 26-28 July, and provided an opportunity for Pacific Island negotiators to discuss developments in Post-2012 thinking under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, and regional approaches to the international negotiating process. Input on regional energy issues and initiatives was provided by regional CROP agencies SOPAC, the Pacific Island Forum Secretariat and UNDP. Issues discussed included: the status of the international negotiating process; ongoing initiatives outside the UNFCCC; key elements of an international agreement; negotiating positions of other groups; mitigation approaches; greenhouse gas stabilisation levels and timeframes; tools for analysing emissions and evaluating stabilisation scenarios; significant technologies for Post 2012 negotiations; adaptation approaches; the role of the Clean Development Mechanism; and land use, land use change and forestry issues. The event was one element of a project on 'Capacity Building for Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries to Participate in Post-2012 Negotiations' funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Organisation, and the European Commission to project.

Future Climate Change Policy in EU Accession and Candidate Countries: Looking beyond 2012, 14-15 June 2006

FIELD participated in a third project event held in Sofia, Bulgaria, 14-15 June 2006, for stakeholders in Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Croatia. Government officials, business representatives, NGOs, and research institutes came together to discuss EU and International negotiations on Post 2012 climate policy in the context of their national circumstances. For further information click here

Book Published: 'Fairness in Adaptation to Climate Change'

Papers from an international symposium on Justice in Adaptation to Climate Change, organised by FIELD and project partners Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, CSERGE and IIED have now been published by MIT Press in a book entitled Fairness in Adaptation to Climate Change (eds) Adger, N., Paavola, J., Huq, S. and Mace, M.J. For more information click here

Climate Convention's Twenty-Fourth Sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies; Dialogue on long-term cooperative action to address climate change, 17-26 May 2006

FIELD attended the Twenty-Fourth Sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bonn, Germany, where FIELD continued to provide legal advice and assistance to the members of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). From 15-16 May, FIELD attended the first workshop in a series of four that will be held as part of a Dialogue on long-term cooperative action to address climate change by enhancing implementation of the Convention.

Future EU Climate Change Policy in the Baltic States: Looking beyond 2012, 25-26 April 2006

FIELD participated in a second project event held in Jurmala, Latvia, for Baltic EU new Member States, 25-26 April 2006. Government officials, utility companies, businesses, NGOs and think tanks for Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia came together to discuss negotiations on Post-2012 climate policy at the international, EU, and national levels, in the context of their national circumstances. For further information click here

Climate Change Programme - Past projects

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