Peeking Behind the Curtain

From a distance it can seem like the UNFCCC is just a giant organization that magically churns out decisions that, no matter what, not everyone agrees with. Even up close at the conference it can seem like that if you don't look in the right places. But there is actually a lot work that goes into the proposals before they even go before the full assembly of the Parties. 

Today I had the opportunity to sit in and watch the process up close. I attended an informal consultation  of the Subsidiary Body of Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA). The group at the meeting was going over opinions and requests from delegates of various countries regarding a draft proposal on Systematic Observation. Walking in I was probably about as lost as you are right now, as I had no idea what I was getting into. I just saw it on the schedule, thought it sounded interesting and said to myself, 'Why not?'

The easiest thing to figure out was what was meant by Systematic Observations. They were talking about the need for continued research and observation of the climate, and financing of said research, in order to make informed decisions on climate change.

The informal consultation is where delegates from countries that have an opinion or interest voice their opinion on the draft of a proposal. This proposal was written by the chair of the meeting, who will take the countries remarks on the draft into consideration before creating a revised proposal to be presented and hopefully approved later in the conference. It was interesting to listen to all the requests and positions of different countries and how they were affected by climate change. It was enlightening to listen to countries like Mali and others. It was obvious that there is a need for on-going research, even if gaps in research may not seem like the most pressing issue when compared to things like adaptation and mitigation. Yet I felt frustration towards our own country, whose delegation said that because they had not received the draft until recently, the US had not had time to go through all the official government channels, and therefore they could not comment on it's content. Canada echoed the same remarks. Developing countries could make the time to fully read and respond to the report; even the European Union (EU) was able to comment.  This is a modest example, but the pattern of developed countries not doing what many Parties and their delegations feel to be their share is a frustration that is echoed through out the conference.

However my excitement to simply watch the process outweighed any of my own frustrations with the process. The woman sitting next to me was from another Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) and she explained to me that at most conferences, members of civil society, like us, are not normally allowed into meetings of this level. Apparently my experience is fairly unique to the COP 19 Conference and I feel privileged to have been allowed to watch.