By Ayuska Motha, UN Rep (AIWC Cologne)
The SB50 or intersessional meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change wrapped up last night and with it any further discussion on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on global warming of 1.5C (SR1.5C).
I have attended the remaining meetings on this item and started to see some of the problems when just one country is not in agreement with the rest and what tactics can be employed to delay substantive discussion and thus, climate action. It was a frustrating process to watch the clock ticking on all 7 hours of the planned 5 hours with so little real discussion. Since Saudi Arabia was not willing to participate in any additional sessions to discuss the report further, the Cofacilitators and the Chair ended up having to make a compromise. The importance of the report is now understated and instead of being able to fully utilize the report to drive radical cuts in emissions, it's significance has been eroded within the UNFCCC. As stated by many countries, it is, nonetheless, being used by all the other countries to inform their decisions on cutting emissions in the years to come and that can not be minimized. It provides invaluable information on the difference between keeping warming to 1.5C versus 2C, both of which will still be very challenging.