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South Africa lead negotiator Alf Wills said yesterday that the so-called “high ambition coalition” has been negotiating through the press and not in the negotiation sessions at the critical UN climate talks in Paris.
While the buzz about the new coalition dominated talks on Wednesday and Thursday, Wills said that he only heard about it through the press.
The talks, to establish a new treaty that would force mandatory cuts to fossil fuel usage, was at a very delicate phase. With less than 48 hours left, negotiators talked through the night to iron out disagreements in the hope of getting a strong treaty. Alliances at this point were key.
The high ambition coalition only emerged in the last two days, but it’s definitely making waves.
It included more than 100 countries from the rich and developing world, including the United States. Mexico, Colombia, all members of the European Union and 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.
The coalition came out swinging at a press conference on Wednesday in Paris, declaring they would block any attempt to impose a “minimalist” agreement.
The group demanded that any final deal should include a mechanism for increasing ambition over time, a recognition of the proposed 1.5 degree Celsius temperature goal, a clear pathway to a low carbon future, a five-year review process, and a climate finance package.
The group’s position was backed by US climate envoy Todd Stern, who said the coalition was “exactly what we need right now”.
The new force at the talks was founded in secret six months ago to push for a more ambitious deal on climate change, including keeping global warming under 1.5 degrees.
But the notable exceptions among its ranks included the major developing countries South Africa, China and India.
“As far as we understand it, it is an open-ended coalition. Anyone can join,” said Wills. “But they forgot to tell South Africa what the coalition’s contact details were.”
But even if South Africa wanted to join, it was unclear what the coalition’s objectives were.
“Are they planning to intervene in the negotiations,” Wills asked. “They are certainly not discussing how they want to bridge the critical points with anyone in the negotiations.”
He said that most of the coalitions’ negotiations had taken place in the media.
“And while that is a valid tactic, it doesn’t make it formal,” he said. “South Africa is certainly for high ambition, but we are quite unclear on what this coalition wants to achieve.”
China’s special representative for climate change negotiations, Gao Feng, echoed Wills comments. Earlier India had indicated that they had issues with the five-year review of targets that the coalition was supporting, as well as with plans to include a target of limiting future warming to 1.5 degrees.
The Marshall Islands’ foreign minister Tony de Brum was the brain behind the coalition. He said earlier that it was first formed over informal drinks on the sidelines of a climate meeting in Paris in July.
South Africa would certainly not thrilled about the coalition. Analysts at the talks said that the coalition was an indication that one of the most significant negotiating blocs at the Paris talks, the G77 plus China, was showing signs of breaking.
South Africa chaired the group and had been buoyed at the talks due to the high unity of the group so far this year.
And going into the home
stretch, the South Africans were hoping the G77 would stand as a united front
against rich countries.
