Outreach – Regional Events
Over the third quarter of 2019, C2G convened or participated in many meetings of civil society groups, UN regional bodies, and conferences, to raise awareness about near-term governance needs and gaps with regards to the scale-up of large-scale carbon dioxide removal.
Highlights include:
Nairobi, Kenya
From 11-12 July 2019, in Nairobi, Kenya, in cooperation with the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance, the African Climate Policy Centre and members of Climate Action Network International, C2G convened a two-day meeting of 32 civil society actors, predominantly from the global south, on the topic of carbon dioxide removal, in the context of the overall objectives of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The meeting was conceived of as a “safe space” for civil society participants to learn, to ask questions of experts and each other, and to exchange views, concerns, hopes and preferences, to ensure that CSOs representing climate justice perspectives, and the concerns of the members, are empowered to engage with and shape this consideration as they see fit, and to formulate their own informed positions.
The meeting was designed, organized and run in cooperation with a steering committee, which included staff from the Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy, the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance, the African Climate Policy Centre, Climate Action Network International, and Resolve, a non-profit facilitation organization.
Speakers (in-person and virtual) included:
- Dr. Ermias Betemariam, Land Health Scientist at International Council for Research in Agroforestry, Nairobi, Kenya
- Professor Robin Chazdon, University of Connecticut and World Resources Institute
- Dr. Daniel Sanchez, University of California, Berkeley
- Professor Jennifer L Wilcox, James H. Manning Chaired Professor of Chemical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute,
Though the meeting was not designed to reach a consensus outcome, participants did agree that engagement with this issue by CSO groups focused on climate justice is vital in the near term. Several groups have already planned additional follow up meetings to consider next steps, and additionally will take part in C2G meetings at COP25.
Salvador de Bahia, Brazil
From 19-23 August 2019, C2G participated in the Latin America and the Caribbean Climate Week, in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil
Likewise, to the UN Africa Climate week which C2G attended earlier this year, the UN Latin American and the Caribbean Climate Week 2019 was a regional meeting designed to support implementation of countries’ NDCs, advance regional climate action and envision as a stepping-stone to the Climate Action Summit. Delegates held numerous sessions on NDC enhancement, on data and information sharing, and climate action financing needs and mechanisms.
C2G attended the meeting to interact with regional networks and other key actors facilitate awareness raising and learning, and to understand how large-scale carbon dioxide removal is being understood by climate policy makers and advocates. The meetings took place in the context of international and national frictions around large occurrence of fires in Brazil and the Amazonas in particular.
In addition to a presentation in the “Action Hub”, C2G were invited by UNFCCC Secretariat to co-organize the Thematic Block on Marine and Ocean Nature-based solutions, as a supporting organization. The organizer – Future Ocean Alliance – focused the session on ecosystem-based adaptation for coastal cities to 1.5°C. Thelma Krug, a member of the C2G advisory board, delivered a remote introductory presentation on carbon dioxide removal and the need for governance.
C2G made plans for a webinar on October 23 with LEDS LAC, to help enhance the regional debate on carbon dioxide removal and its governance.
Bangkok, Thailand
From 2-7 September 2019, C2G participated in the UN Asia Pacific Climate Week (APCW) meetings in Bangkok, Thailand.
UN Asia Pacific Climate Week 2019 was a regional meeting designed to “support implementation of Asia-Pacific countries’ NDCs, advance regional climate action and envision as a stepping-stone to the Climate Action Summit.” Delegates held numerous sessions on NDC enhancement, on data and information sharing, and climate action financing needs and mechanisms.
C2G attended the meeting to interact with regional networks and other key actors facilitate awareness raising and learning, and to understand how large-scale carbon dioxide removal is being understood by climate policy makers and advocates.
While there, C2G briefed twelve different CSO groups on carbon dioxide removal, and convened several informal discussions about the potential implications of carbon dioxide removal for regional mitigation and adaptation goals. The discussions focused on a number of topics, including the basics about the role carbon removal plays in IPCC scenarios for the 1.5C target, the types of carbon dioxide removal that are being researched in the Asia Pacific region, and the preparedness of Asian Pacific nations to make policy to appropriately and safely scale-up carbon dioxide removal in coordination with a global effort.
Following this meeting, at the request of a number of organisations, C2G will provide virtual briefings for broader networks, including via webinars and the sharing of C2G knowledge products, to raise awareness about the implications of large-scale carbon dioxide removal.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
From 7-9 October 2019, C2G participated in the African Climate Risks Conference (ACRC), at the UN Economic Commission for Africa, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The African Climate Risks Conference (ACRC), intended as a “platform for sharing the latest African climate research among researchers, policy makers, practitioners and development partners,” was a gathering of nearly delegates working on adaptation policy and projects from across the African continent.
C2G participated in ACRC to raise awareness about the governance considerations about large-scale carbon dioxide removal. As part of this effort, C2G convened a panel of African climate policy experts and thinkers to discuss implication for carbon dioxide removal for African adaptation and resilience needs.
The panel, consisting of Dr. Fatima Denton, UN University, Dr. James Murombedzi, African Climate Policy Centre and Dr. Olufemi Taiwo, Georgetown University, discussed whether the adaptation community in Africa should begin to give some limited focus to this topic now, specific adaptation needs and priorities across the continent that could be impacted by large scale Carbon Dioxide Removal efforts (positively or negatively), existing frameworks for assessing proposed carbon removal efforts across Africa according to their interactions with adaptation priorities and the SDGs.
The panel concluded with several conversations about possible pathways to increase research on the role Carbon Dioxide Removal approaches could or should play in African climate policy, and on how to govern carbon dioxide removal efforts so that they prioritize various adaptation and resilience goals and efforts. There was clear agreement that even if many countries would not want to carry out large scale carbon removal projects, there is still need for African country negotiators to be prepared to take part in discussions in international fora where rules for accountability and guardrails against negative impacts are made.