Climate conference in Katowice: Swiss delegation mandate approved
The Federal Council has defined the mandate of the Swiss delegation to the next climate conference, which will take place in Katowice (Poland) from December 3 to 14, 2018. At the conference, the international community is to adopt implementation guidelines for the Paris Climate Agreement (Paris Rulebook).
At the climate conference in Katowice, Switzerland is advocating for robust guidelines that will ensure effective implementation of the agreement. The Paris Climate Agreement committed all states to take concrete steps to protect the climate from 2020 onwards in accordance with their responsibilities and available resources. Every five years, for example, states must formulate a higher emissions reduction target in each case, take measures to achieve it and report on the progress made.
The agreement also includes provisions on adaptation to global warming and support measures such as financing and technology transfer. At the 24th Conference of the Parties (COP24) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, countries are now expected to adopt detailed implementation rules on these points.
Uniform specifications for all parties
According to the mandate adopted by the Federal Council on September 21, 2018, the Swiss delegation will advocate for robust and detailed regulations that ensure effective implementation of the Paris Agreement. In particular, the delegation will support the introduction of uniform requirements for all Parties. These relate in particular to the description of the national reduction target, the increase of this target to be announced every five years, and the accounting of emissions and emission reductions achieved.
Switzerland will also advocate binding requirements for the crediting of emission reductions achieved abroad. Such reductions must neither be counted more than once nor result in negative environmental impacts. As far as financing is concerned, Switzerland will support recommendations aimed at improving transparency with regard to the funds used.
Ministerial talks on additional measures
Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard will participate in the ministerial meeting that will take place in the last days of the conference. As part of the Talanoa Dialogue, the ministers will discuss how to close the gap between the countries' current reduction targets and the global goal of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees or to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The ministers will take note of the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which will be published in October.
This report deals with the consequences of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and the emission reduction pathways to achieve this goal. The Swiss negotiating delegation is headed by Ambassador Franz Perrez, head of the International Affairs Division of the Federal Office for the Environment, and includes about fifteen people plus three representatives of the business and climate protection communities.
Details on the World Climate Conference from a Swiss perspective can be found at here
