COP-29 Baku: The political economy of international climate finance
Why is the implementation of the 1987 Montreal Protocol a sensational problem-solving success, whereas the UNFCCC underperformance from one dreary COP to the next? The paper COP-29 Baku: The political economy of international climate finance insists the difference in complexity and in the scale of the financial challenge is not the main cause. A design error in the 1990 Rio Convention is to blame. The sharp “Annex I+II/Non-Annex I” country division in the assignment of obligations predestined negotiations at the COPs to be confrontational events. The UNFCCC imposed on the ‘Annex II’-countries (OECD-countries) the legal commitment to assist developing countries with technology transfer and financial support. But because the UNFCCC does not include an article defining adjustments of commitments to changes in the distribution of accumulated historical emissions and in global wealth generation, the assignment of the finance responsibility has come out of line with the UNFCCC’s “polluter pays” and “ability to pay” principles. The 134 countries in the ‘G-77 Group’ continue to insist that the external climate finance, which low-income countries need in order to achieve the aims of the 2015 Paris Agreement, must be provided by the 34 OECD-countries. The situation prevents the mobilization of sufficient funds to achieve the climate goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Theory and Practice of Carbon Pricing: Observations from three Emission Trading Systems (ETS)
The paper ”Theory and practice of carbon pricing observations from three emission trading systems gives a short introduction to the theory of carbon pricing and looks at the design features and experiences of three carbon trading systems: the EU-Emission Trading System (ETS), Korea’s ETS and the Chinese national ETS and provincial pilot ETS. The paper is a contribution to a report to be published by VIET, the leading Vietnamese think tank on energy and climate policy.
Integrating Climate Issues in Energy Policy
The paper “Integrating Climate Issues in Energy Policy” was presented at an inter-ministerial seminar organised by the Government of Colombia in Bogota in June 2008.
CDM
The report for the Danish Energy Authority “CDM Opportunities for Danish Industry”, Guide for private industry” from 2004 gave an early review of the issues and options in CDM for potentially interested industrial investors.
