Woods Hole Research Center

December 8, 2011

I'm typing this entry as I fly the length of Africa, with COP17 at my back and the end of the semester at MIT looming large. This was my first time at a COP and it's difficult to capture the whole experience in a few words. Yesterday was the launch of the full plenary session, when the Conference of Parties officially begins and enters into the final three days of negotiations. The high level delegates, (who arrived in a stream of motorcades all throughout Tuesday) will be debating everything from the financing structure for adaptation funding to revisions to the UNFCCC's consensus making process to, of interest to us, REDD. Most of the groundwork for these high level sessions was laid during my week of attendance at the conference. For instance, the Subsidiary Body on Science and Technology Assessment (SBTSA) approved important language which frames the process for setting reference levels for deforestation in tropical forest countries, the role of safeguards and stakeholder consultations within the MRV mechanisms of REDD and early movement on the financing structures of REDD within the UNFCCC. These brief texts (no longer than 3 pages in all!) can still all be lobbied and changed now (within the last three days of the COP), but they give a basis for how REDD will move forward and prevent important domains of decision making being pushed to future SBSTAs or COPs. Important elements are missing (such as any mention of verification and accountability mechanisms, or standards for making reference levels comparable across countries), but, as is mentioned with reference-levels, these processes involve a "step-wise" approach and we are clearly still at least a year or more away from any final word on the ultimate requirements of REDD under the UNFCCC.

Mixed within these continual meetings were a daunting number of side events related to forests and climate change and the impressive all-day session of Forest Day, organized by CIFOR and attended by 1000+ people. It is clear from these sessions that there are still frontiers of forest science that need more attention, particularly how to measure forest degradation and how remote sensing technologies can help innovate around the costs of national MRV systems. And WHRC had many things to say regarding all of these issues. But the emerging issue that grabbed most of my attention was the focus on the social and governance impacts of REDD, and particularly on measuring social performance of REDD. Strongly linking carbon performance and social performance is crucial if REDD is to offer credible pathways of development for indigenous peoples and forest communities. It is clear there is still much more work that needs to be done by groups active in REDD in this domain, and that the impact assessment collaborations that WHRC is setting up in the Democratic Republic of Congo with villages and local religious aid groups in Equateur Province will be a part of this broader effort to establish social performance criteria related to REDD. It's encouraging to see this deepening link at the Center between the tools and technologies that help monitor and account for changes in land use with on the ground projects destined to develop methods to strengthen the accountability of REDD implementers to resource access, political autonomy and development aspirations of communities whose livelihoods depends on forests.

Ian Gray, Consultant - MIT

December 7, 2011

Negotiations in Durban have entered the stage of all-night, closed-door sessions during which Parties draft and refine the texts that will be used by ministers to negotiate an outcome later on this week. With consideration of technical and procedural issues concluded last week, before Parties now are those outstanding political and policy-related matters that must be decided in order to make a decision on the future of the Kyoto Protocol and to determine the next steps towards a global agreement that includes all major emitters. So, no small task!

There are currently no less than 27 distinct working groups under the two negotiating tracks working to develop text, and that number likely doubles or triples when you consider all the sub-groups, informal drafting groups, and informal informal groups. Negotiators who cover more than one topic area often find themselves using every available minute of every possible hour, working through the night and stopping only when exhaustion forces them back to their hotels. I often wonder about the extent to which international climate policy is influenced by the sleeping habits of the people responsible for negotiating it.

Long-term finance for the results-based phase of REDD+ is one of the many issues on the agenda this week under the Ad-Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA). REDD+ negotiators worked through the night on Tuesday to draft a decision on the types of finance (e.g., public, private, market-based) that could be used for full-implementation of the global mechanism. However, they were unable to reach consensus and we are currently without agreed upon decision text with three days to go. On a positive note, most countries acknowledge the importance of maintaining momentum on REDD+, and we have faith that Parties will reconvene today with renewed enthusiasm to hammer out an agreement. Maybe after they’ve all taken a nap.

Nora Greenglass, Research Associate - Policy

December 6, 2011

On my last night in Durban I can see from my open window the waves breaking on the beach (which I never made it to) and hear frogs croaking. Even with a population of 4.5 million, the busiest port in Africa seems to have reached some kind of balance between development and nature. Ever since Copenhagen, I hoped for the big surprise at the Conference of the Parties (COPs), like the US and China agreeing to a binding commitment to reduce their emissions. But I do not see strong political will to move toward a real green economy, so again I am likely to leave here only with hope that a surprise might come and national interests will follow the greater good. On the bright side, I was happy to hear good news on the REDD front, especially clarified commitments to social and environmental safeguards in the draft text issued by the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA), which is likely to be agreed to by the parties. The full text of this is “Methodological guidance for activities to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries”. Because poor tropical nations with little capacity to adapt are likely to suffer the most, it is important that these safeguards are in place. This means a lot to me on a personal level too, because of all the people I work with in Africa.

Nadine Laporte, Associate Scientist

December 5, 2011

Even though they’re both taking place this week, the COP and the AGU (American Geophysical Union) annual meetings are worlds apart – not just geographically (Durban versus San Francisco) but also figuratively, practically and in just about every other aspect one can imagine. While many of our WHRC crew are at AGU, quite a few others are at the COP. I have to admit I will miss not being at AGU this year and interacting with an entire community of scientists I’ve known for years (while knocking off a few project meetings in the process) but I am confident that staff members Mike Loranty, Pieter Beck and Logan Berner will more than adequately represent our work there. That said, with each COP I attend I realize the importance of WHRC being present and represented. Science is embedded deep down somewhere in the roots of what happens here but what is most evident is the messy business of policy making and international consensus on climate change as it cuts across all sectors of society – from business and finance to the essential livelihoods that sustain the poorest of the poor and inspire local activism.

The pace of progress can seem glacial, and that can be frustrating, but with the perspective of a few years it becomes clear there is progress – even if it resembles less a bullet train and more a roller coaster (up and down as well as around and around). But there is slow and steady movement forward. On the issues that concern us regarding credit for conserving forests (for their ecosystem services as well as their role in mitigating additional climate warming) the progress this year was incremental but positive, with clear but flexible mechanisms to establish reference levels and reasonably consistent measurement, monitoring, reporting and verification. Financing based on those reference levels will be an issue for many future meetings, including the next COP, but at least we can leave here feeling progress has been made. We can also be assured that we are recognized for what we do here – bringing science to bear on these issues and pushing the envelope of technological advancement that ultimately advances to implementation (and spreading that via capacity building efforts).

I have been coming to the COPs since 2007 (COP13 in Bali), and while that is not very long compared to many others, I can see that we DO influence the process and in real ways that have advanced “systematic observation” and “methodological guidance” (in UNFCCC lingo). The focus is now broadly moving from “policy to practice” (the theme of Forest Day), and that is heavily focused on the socioeconomic aspects of REDD+. I am confident that we will be deeply immersed in those advances as well, as evidenced by Assistant Scientist Glenn Bush’s participation this year in our Workshop, our Side Event with the Green Belt Movement, and his representation of WHRC at Forest Day (leading discussions on “implementing REDD+ on the ground”). While I am not an economist or social scientist I have a great appreciation for the central role that science will play moving REDD+ forward and into implementation. I may not be attending as many COPs in the future (which means I may get to spend more time at AGU), but I am quite sure that WHRC will be in the center of the scrum, eyes on the ball, continuing to push for progress and ensuring that extensive tracks of forest will continue to regulate climate and support a diversity of life – including forest peoples. We are making a difference.

Scott Goetz, Deputy Director and Senior Scientist

December 3, 2011

Midpoint of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC 2011. Estimates are that some 15,000 diplomats and observers from non-governmental organizations like ours are attending the meeting this year. The first week of COP17, which some activist groups have term the "Conference of the Polluters," ends with some surprise. The overall expectations for the Durban summit were low this year as the stalemate between the major economies seemed to prevail and we were not expecting an agreement to renew the commitment of the Kyoto Protocol in one form or another. But we are seeing some progress hinting at an interesting second week of negotiations. On Friday, China signaled that a binding deal on CO2 emission cuts, the holy grail of an agreement to be found, may not be out of the question, and also the European Union affirms interest in a new commitment period. China's statement in a press conference on Friday was: "We do not rule out the possibility of legally binding. It is possible for us, but it depends on the negotiations." Clearly, this puts pressure on the US to engage, since it was clear the US would only move if China moves. Ever played chess? Well, here we're not after "checkmate", but getting out of "stalemate." Christina Figueres, the head of this meeting announced new negotiating text to be presented on Monday. So one thing is clear: Not much sleep for the negotiators this weekend!

For the WHRC delegation the first week was action packed with our workshop and dinner reception, our official side event with our friends from the Green Belt Movement, and participation in various other working groups giving presentations and contributing to many sideline discussions and meetings on outlining future joint endeavors, all with the focus to make a dent in moving humanity to sustainable management of our planet. We see progress being made in the discussion on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD), and how forests can be a catalyst for sustainable development and poverty reduction, even though complex issues like financing carbon offset deals, fund distributions, forest peoples rights and protection, measuring, monitoring, reporting and verifying forest emission reductions - one of our core interests - are still hotly debated in all constituencies attending the conference.

For Sunday, we are looking forward to one of the conferences's major events for our line of work: CIFOR's Forest Day, now in its fifth repetition after the inauguration during COP13 in Bali. This event is a wonderful forum for presentation and discussion on how we are going to address the decline of the world's tropical forests and find solutions to sustainably manage one of the planets most important natural resources and carbon sequestration agents.

So, stay tuned as to what's going to happen on the forest front with the REDD+ discussion, and maybe even a shift in the overall political positioning which we are all hoping for!

Josef Kellndorfer, Senior Scientist

December 2, 2011

How amazing to be here in Durban, at COP17, with our scientists. I write as an observer, neither a scientist, nor an active participant in the meetings. I comment from a lay person's viewpoint. My husband, Bob Fanger, and I, plus Wil Merck, chairman of the Board of Trustees, are the only non-staff members with the delegation from the Woods Hole Research Center.

The city of Durban has gone the limit to welcome the COP delegates -some 15,000 strong-starting at the airport with huge posters of welcome in green and white. A city within the city has been constructed with a massive security force at the conference site, and visible around the city. I can only imagine how lucrative a venture this event will prove to be, in terms of the local economy as well as bringing prestige to the host. WHRC is one of many NGOs registered at the conference. The NGOs have booths, as we do, and also host various side events.

First of all, I must mention the high profile of WHRC among a large number of NGO's which are engaged in similar concerns and projects but with far larger staffs and budgets. WHRC has attracted collaborators from the top tier, for example partnering with Green Belt Movement, founded by the late Professor Wangari Maathai, Nobel Prize Laureate. WHRC shared a presentation with some of them this morning. We are sharing a booth with the Rainforest Alliance. Last night we hosted a dinner for our collaborators, several ministers from African nations also attended. Frances Seymour, Director General of the Center for International Forestry Research, and Piers Sellers, former astronaut who is now Deputy Director of Science at NASA both made remarks at the dinner.

Our scientists have formed close associations with many of their peers from their attendance at previous COP meetings, as well as their presence in professional organizations. Josef Kellndorfer and Glenn Bush were invited to speak on panels presented by other groups. Josef goes on to The Netherlands next week for a writing workshop, funded by the government of Norway. Eric Davidson, our Executive Director, delivered an eloquent wrap-up in today's official side event which looked at the human aspects of REDD. His comments about the different speakers who approached the topic from "various lenses," concisely connected the disparate reports. Immediately following the side event Eric left Durban to fly to San Francisco for a week of meetings with the American Geophysical Union (AGU).

If I sound like I'm name dropping, well I accept the charge, but it has been such a privilege to meet so many diverse persons from around the world, engaging in issues that affect the future of the planet.

Iris Fanger, WHRC Board of Directors

November 30, 2011

A day at the COP begins bright and early with our team meeting over breakfast. While the team fuels up, we discuss the outcomes and meetings of the previous day and Nora gives us an update on the status of the negotiations. We share invitations to workshops and side events and make a plan of action for the day.

Then we catch one of the twelve shuttle bus routes through the city to the “holding pen” parking lot outside the convention center. After walking through the maze of drop off points, we walk through the climate change village, where there are examples of green cars, living walls, and a building made of milk crates growing lettuce.

Luckily, after learning from the last few COPs and the long lines that went with them, the organizers have added more metal detectors and badge scanners to facilitate getting through security in a timely manner. The walkway to the convention center leads over a bridge above a roadway, and gives a great birds eye view of the entire COP layout.

There are two main buildings at the conference: the International Convention Centre (ICC), where the negotiations take place, and the Durban Exhibition Centre (DEC), where the exhibition booths and side events are located. We are sharing a booth with the Rainforest Alliance, with whom we are currently collaborating.

Throughout the day, we answer questions at the booth, visit other booths, and attend pertinent side events. After a full day of this and some sore feet, it’s back out to the shuttle corral to catch a bus back to the hotel. We frequently meet with collaborators over dinner, sometimes getting work done and sometimes just catching up. Finally it’s up to our hotel rooms to write some final emails, Skype family back home (who are 7 hours behind), and get some sleep in order to do it all again the next day.

Chloe Starr, Research Assistant

November 29, 2011

The COP is well and truly warming up. Queues to get in are already getting longer. Durban is providing a vibrant backdrop for the negotiations in this culturally rich city with a heady mix of sea and warm sunny weather keeping the mood high. The climate justice campaigners will find much succor in lessons from the life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who began his early political career in this very city during the 1890’s. Apparently it is here that he founded his concept of non violent protest that he successfully deployed to influence India’s eventual independence from its colonial masters. It is thus very fitting that the focus of WHRC efforts this year are not only on REDD+ MRV but also the economic viability and social impacts of REDD+. These themes are also evident in side events and workshops already underway by other organizations. I attended a couple of European Union sponsored events yesterday and today where they are showcasing projects related to climate science and capacity building funded under the 7th Framework Programme for research. A key theme of one session was on health related impacts from climate change in Africa linking climate change impacts to the spread of communicable diseases and the potential impacts on human welfare. A significant challenge noted in this and other side events is that of making research accessible and relevant to policy makers. I’ve also spent a bit of time around the exhibits and the WHRC booth that we share with the Rainforest Alliance. I’ve enjoyed spending time finding out what the Rainforest Alliance really do (as opposed to what I thought they did), which has stimulated a lot of thought.

Two things immediately struck me as interesting. Firstly the wide scope of applications of the work of our WHRC scientists in contributing to multidisciplinary research on human development issues. Secondly the challenge of translating research findings into advice that policy makers really are able to use. It’s on this second point that I will dwell as it really relates to my own work as an economist, people always want to know how much things cost and also how much can be gained! Whether it is the costs of implementing a certified forest friendly commodities marketing system e.g. Rainforest Alliance, or implementing community forestry under a national REDD program everything has a social as well as financial cost and benefit. High level decisions really need to be better informed about the potential consequences of policy options not just in terms of know how much implementation might cost but also what the net benefits will be and importantly to whom? Fortunately, as an environmental economist, I do too! This all bodes well for the WHRC workshop on Thursday as the themes of the costs of MRV and measuring the social benefits from REDD projects are core topics to be discussed. We’ll keep you posted!

Dr. Glenn Bush, Assistant Scientist

Attendees at COP17 viewing our National Level Carbon Stock Dataset maps. Click here for more information on this project.