Tuesday saw the opening of the Ministerial sessions, and top level restatement (and a few not so veiled warnings) that the Paris Agreement was not negotiable. In this quick summary, Ben Smith explores these, the gathering momentum behind the Paris Agreement, financial instruments and the challenge of engaging with the private sector.
In this summary, Dominic Molloy looks at some of the exciting projects that have happened, even in the last year, that will have a tangible impact on the environment and, crucially, are attracting financial support or investment. The scale of investment necessary for climate adaptation and resilience building, is vast, but it is also often about the replacement of redundant technologies with new ones that would form a part of normal infrastructure spending.
As COP22 comes to the end of its first week, Tom Downing summarises the week's activity. He notes the contributions by Paul Watkinson, Chief Negotiator for France, Seyni Nafo, Chair of the African Group, Amjad Abdulla, Chief Negotiator for small island states - each championing the need for progress. Business and Industry, Non-Governmental Organizations (BINGOs) held an all-day pavilion, at which Mike Wilkins MD of S&P Global Ratings (who regularly contributes to our Oxford Adaptation Academy) spoke. It is good to see a growing momentum in this community, but Tom points out how it needs to evolve too. He also gives a few pointers to the highlights likely to be seen in this coming week.
This is our 5th quick summary of highlights from COP22 in Marrakech.
Our colleague, Ben Smith, has had the opportunity to reflect in a bit more depth on the potential impact of the US presidential election outcome on the world of climate resilience. His conclusion - while there's a lot of uncertainty, there are some glimpses of possibility...