Paris Agreement Ratification Continues, Minutes From Trump Tower – As it Happened

Posts 16 Nov 2016

Welcome to the Wednesday, 16 November 2016 edition of the Daily Planet’s COP22 live blog.

  • UK set to ratify Paris climate accord today or tomorrow, following Finland’s lead
  • Australian government to construct climate-friendly building “a short walk from the White House”
  • France’s Hollande praises Obama’s role in forging Paris climate agreement
  • Business groups call for more climate action transparency in private sector
  • India reportedly committed to Paris Agreement, following talks with EU and China
  • Delegates to discuss the promise of crop microinsurance in Africa
  • Catch up with today’s newsletter or our COP22 live blog archives

Drawing on our team on the ground in Marrakesh, social media and press coverage around the world, our digital reporters keep you updated on the latest efforts to accelerate the Paris Agreement’s implementation at the twenty-second UN climate conference in Morocco.

Super-Moon

9:33 GMT by Molly Redmond

Good morning and welcome to the COP22 live blog!

Did you get a chance to spot the astronomical supermoon last night? It was the first time a completely full moon has come this close to Earth since 1948.

As people around the world looked to the skies, delegates in Marrakesh were treated to another type of super Moon… UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon arrived at COP22 for the final week of the UN climate change conference.

Speaking at a conference he spoke of the historic Paris Agreement and how it has opened up global cooperation on climate change.

Women Leaders Summit

11:15 GMT by Molly Redmond

Happening right now at COP is the Women Leaders & Global Transformation Summit.

According to the website, the summit is an opportunity to “create bridges of collaboration between empowered women and others in need, between different networks and initiatives to support the most ambitious and accelerated implementation of the Paris Agreement”

COP22 champion Hakima El Haite has just opened the summit with an inspiring, energetic and insightful speech according to Margaret-Ann Splawn, the executive director at the Climate Markets & Investment Association.

Hakima talked about fighting for peace, human rights and security in the world through the fight for climate action. She also said “we need women to lead the way for climate change.”

COP22 Bromances

14:08 GMT by Molly Redmond

It looks like EU Energy Commissioner, Miguel Arias Cañete, has made some strong friendships during his time at COP22.

Mattlan Zackhras, convenor of the High Ambition Coalition, tweeted earlier this morning that they he has spent more time with Cañete than his own wife, clearly showing their commitment to the Paris Agreement!

Cañete also tweeted earlier that he will miss John Kerry, who has been speaking in Marrakesh today but leaves for Peru this afternoon.

EU to Trump: Paris Agreement is “irreversible and non-negotiable”

14:31 GMT by Peter Koekoek

Good afternoon, as I’m taking over here in Toronto from Molly in London, EU climate commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete has just delivered an official statement in Marrakesh on behalf of the European Union. He vowed to defend and implement the Paris climate accord and called it a “growth engine of our economies.”

“We, the Parties to the Paris Agreement. We, civil society. We, cities and provinces. We, businesses and investors. We, developed and developing countries,” are on the “right side of history,” he said, in a clear message to US president-elect Donald Trump.

The commissioner told delegates that they “can count on the European Union to continue to lead the work to face one the greatest challenges of our time.”

He acknowledged that the world was entering “unchartered waters,” but assured the COP22 conference that the European Union “will stand firm on shaky ground. We are here to stand for the Paris Agreement. We are here to defend the Paris Agreement. And we are here to turn the Paris Agreement into action.”

You can find Cañete’s full speech on the European Commission website.

Climate action is… “irresistible”

15:08 GMT by Peter Koekoek

“In terms of climate change … there’s an irresistible force now,” Canada’s climate change minister Catherine McKenna said yesterday, contributing yet another adjective to climate action’s diplomatic lexicon.

The European Union has been calling the low carbon transition “irriversible” for some time, and this morning the EU’s climate commissioner called the Paris Agreement “non-negotiable.”

We can expect two major statements to come out of COP22 this week, both from the entire conference and from the High Ambition Coalition, and it will be interesting to see which language makes it into the delcarations, which will be seen as a message to Donald Trump.

McKenna made her comments at a press conference yesterday, and also said: “There’s no going back. You can’t stop the waves from hitting the beach. And what you’re seeing is, it’s because the market forces recognise the huge opportunity,” according to CTV news.

The woman leading Thailand’s solar revolution

15:58 GMT by Peter Koekoek

 
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