COP22

COP22 was very well organized. It was nice to be in Marrakesh, nice to wander in both zones, nice to look down the central alley, under the black hangings. The Moroccan people were very committed. Many teachers, engineers, businessmen, students gathered in the green zone and attended conferences and debates.

Actually many initiatives were announced in COP22. From States, businesses, cities, universities, think tanks, NGOs. It was meant to be the COP of action. The NAZCA website where non state actors register their pledges contains something like 12 000 commitments, from huge to small, in all areas relevant to climate change, agriculture, energy, transportation, buildings…

But the States themselves didn’t have much to say. The multilateral negotiations didn’t produce anything notable, expect for another declaration. Of course there are still items to negotiate, especially what countries should write down in their contributions and communications, what are they doing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to adapt to the changing climate, to help developing countries.

One important issue is that of cooperation. To combat climate change, it will not be enough to have 195 national programmes, you also need to allow countries and businesses to work jointly. There are always the difficult questions of financing the climate-friendly development, of capacity building, or deploying clean technologies.

But the truth is that the climate COPs should become the conferences of the doers and no more the COPs of diplomats and negotiators. If one has a look on the history of these meetings, they did start by being negotiators alone discussing together. They were at the center. And year after year NGOs, businesses, local governments held side-events around the negotiation room to help moving ahead.

Today negotiators have succeded in signing and ratifying the Paris agreement. Great ! But 90% of the implementation should come from non state actors. So they should sit at the center while governments organize side events to help them. Because businesses, local governments, NGOs, universities, will need stable legal frameworks, fiscal incentives, new standards, long-term goals to be successful.

Action, in contrast with multilateral negotiation, doesn’t require unanimity. The willing meet and start doing. But the reversal from negotiation to action needs to be organized. The international community must invent new ways to count, to add, to monitor the flow of commitments. It will be the task of the non state actors to invent the new COPs and follow-up with the states.

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