Carbon Farming News
Newsletter of the Carbon Farming Group
Issue 5, January 2010
Hi
Welcome to the Carbon Farming Group newsletter. We trust you had an enjoyable Christmas and New Year.
This newsletter summarises what happened last year with the ETS and Copenhagen talks and what is in store for 2010.
ETS Developments
Having passed the parliamentary process at the end of 2009, the ETS is now law. If you would like to see a summary of these changes or more general information please visit our ETS and news pages here.
Summary of Copenhagen 2009
ll the talk in the climate change world in December last year was around the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference. There was a significant amount of media coverage at the time of the conference which seemed to focus on which set of protestors was making the most noise. From what we can tell there were two significant outcomes from the conference. The first is the Agricultural Global Research Alliance and the Copenhagen Accord.
Agricultural Global Research Alliance
New Zealand led talks in Copenhagen to bring together a diverse group of countries with the aim of establishing a global research group. The group will look to prioritise ways of reducing agricultural emissions while meeting food production requirements of the world. According to a parliamentary press release the “Global Research Alliance members will meet early in 2010 in New Zealand to establish working groups, and discuss priority setting and opportunities for encouraging participation.” We’ll keep a close eye on the progress of this initiative.
Copenhagen Accord
While no Kyoto-style protocols were possible, delegates (including NZ) at the conference agreed on an accord. This accord is not legally binding but indicates a way forward for future discussions and actions. The full accord can be found here on our website.
Below is a summary of the Copenhagen accord:
- Climate change is the greatest challenge we currently face.
- Actions to reach the peak of global emissions are very important.
- International cooperation is necessary to enhance adaptation to adverse impacts of climate change.
- Annex 1 countries (including New Zealand) need to submit 2020 emission targets to the UNFCCC by January 31st 2010.
- Non Annex one (developing) countries need to submit list of mitigation actions by January 31st 2010.
- Agreed to provide positive incentives to reducing emissions through new forest plantings and reduced deforestation of existing forests.
- International markets should help incentivise developing countries to continue to develop on a low emission pathway.
- Assist developing countries to adopt mitigation and adaptation activities through a Copenhagen Green Climate Fund. The aim of this fund is to mobilise around USD 100billion a year by 2020.
Important Dates
MAF have issued a sustainable forestry bulletin with a number of dates for reporting, most relate to deforestation. Please note: 1 February 2010 is the deadline for applying for post 1989 forests to be included in the ETS.
Website Updates
Checkout the recent updates to the Carbon Farming Group website including:
- ETS changes summary
- ETS On-farm implications document.
If you have any questions about climate change and the rural sector, or have ideas/suggestions that you'd like to share please contact us on 0800 123 733 or [email protected]
Best Regards,
Clayton Wallwork
Trustee
Carbon Farming Group
