Earth Today | Jamaica welcomes Climate Rule Book

JAMAICA HAS welcomed the 256-page Katowice Climate Change Package, more commonly referred to as the 'Climate Rule Book', which contains guidelines for implementing the historic Paris Agreement.

The document is the result of two weeks of wrangling among countries at the 24th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that concluded in Katowice, Poland, on December 15.

"It was a long and intense period of negotiations, and although there are some areas that we would have liked to see more action on, we are glad that we reached consensus," said UnaMay Gordon, head of Jamaica's 14-member delegation to the global talks.

Jamaica, in its initial country statement at the negotiations, had called for a clear move from climate talk to action, especially through the operationalisation of the Paris Agreement.

"Mr Chair, the task here in Katowice seems daunting, but they are not insurmountable. We need a renewed focus in furtherance of previously agreed outcomes to get us back on track to effectively address climate change," read the statement dated December 12.

"Parties have an obligation at COP24 to the citizens of the world, and we must show that the international community is still capable of coming together to solve any difficult problem. Mr Chair, we must move from climate talk to climate action. We do hope that the outcomes of COP24 will result in the full and effective operationalisation of the Paris Agreement. Indeed, the world is watching and waiting and we cannot disappoint," it added.

Jamaica was also among the countries calling for the conference to welcome the findings of the special report prepared by the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change, on the impact of warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius. In the end, the COP welcomed the completion of the report, and invited parties to use the information.

THE PACKAGE

On the night of the final day of the two-week meeting, 197 countries signed off on the Katowice Climate Change Package, which outlines, among other things:

- The process for establishing new finance targets from 2025 onwards to support developing countries;

- How to assess progress on the development and transfer of technology; and

- How to conduct the 'Global Stock-take' (GST) of the effectiveness of climate action in 2023.

- Loss and damage associated with climate change is also included.

"This is key, as there is the need for recognition of the limits to adaptation that developing countries, such as Jamaica, grapple with, as climate change continues to manifest. It is good that parties can include information on their efforts on averting, minimising and addressing loss and damage for consideration in the enhanced transparency framework and the GST," Gordon, also head of the Climate Change Division, noted.

Adaptation was another element of the decisions adopted. This included guidance on adaptation communications, and the establishment of a registry, among others.

"It was not the perfect agreement, but we note that it is not the end of the process. This is just the beginning of the implementation of the Paris Agreement, and we look forward to engaging and ensuring that the rule book is implemented," Gordon said.

Indi Mclymont-Lafayette