Papua New Guinea is among other countries in the world participating in the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn at its 56th Session of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB56).
The conference kicked-off this week to lay the groundwork of success for the next Climate Change Conference, (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
Governments are meeting for the first time since the conclusion of the UN Climate 26th Meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP26) in Glasgow last November. PNG is represented by a team of technical negotiators from the Climate Change & Development Authority (CCDA), PNG Forest Authority, National Energy Authority and the Department of Works & Highways.
“The conference focuses on work in the key areas of climate change mitigation and adaptation, support to developing countries, particularly in finance and loss and damages but also looks at other key issues such as the future of carbon markets, energy security and just transition” said PNG’s Climate Change Special Envoy, Ruel Yamuna.
He elaborated that PNG’s priority and focus is on the implementation of the Paris Agreement with the Rule Book passed in the last climate change conference, COP 26 while taking stock of some of the country’s issues and challenges relating to implementation including means of implementation.
“Enabling framework is now set with PNG’s amended Climate Change Management Act (CCMA) recently gazetted. The outstanding elements of the rule book such as that of Article 6.2 and Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement will enable regulations development in order to manage all carbon related projects in the country,” said Mr Yamuna.
In the Energy Space, PNG’s participation at the Session will look at challenges faced domestically on energy security and transition issues affecting movement towards renewable energy including the need for a just transition in all the fossil fuel consumption industries. Apart from just transition issues are the need to have consistent methodologies.
Forestry sector, as far as the implementation of the commitments that are set out in PNG’s Nationally Determined Contribution 2020 is concerned, this session will negotiate methodologies and guidance on implementing Article 6.4 under the Paris Agreement. Such decisions reached will affect the forest sector at the domestic level and practical approaches by the sector defines how the decisions are made.
Furthermore, funding, resources and technology capacity is highlighted as a major setback to implementing climate resilient projects in the country. However, developing countries have been embarking on climate resilient innovations to scale up climate change financing from developed countries to achieve their climate adaptation targets.
With the launching of the PNG’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) planned for August this year, PNG is also pushing for support for resources to implement the NAP. The implementation of the NAP for PNG will benefit the key priority development sectors in Transport, Infrastructure, Agriculture and Health to build their resilience against the impact of climate change.
“The process of negotiations itself continue to present complexities and challenges for every delegation across the board, and PNG is not isolated from this challenge. The small state team in Bonn, have been consistent participants to the process, and are currently putting up with many challenges including the need to protect PNG’s key priorities in every negotiation group,” said Mr Yamuna.
He said that climate change is progressing exponentially. With the world currently on track to more than double the 1.5oC goal of the Paris Agreement by the end of the century, ambition must be raised to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, and immediate action and progress in Bonn are needed.
