Durban outcome update - 12 December (COP 17, CMP 7)

Durban was hot and exciting for many reasons, not least CCS was one of the issues to be potentially addressed and concluded there, as well as future global climate agreements.

The mandate for activity on CCS was set by the Cancun Decision, which put in place a work programme for 2011 in terms of addressing the issues on concern within new Modalities and Procedures (ie rules) for the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). This work programme consisted of submissions, then a technical and legal workshop of experts in Abu Dhabi in September, then the UNFCCC produced draft modalities and procedures drawing upon these inputs. These were issued just two weeks before COP-17 at Durban, and in their 20 pages of detail provided the basis for negotiations in Durban.

In Durban, on Wednesday 7th December, after over 32 hours of intense and sometimes heated negotiations over the previous 6 days, Parties concluded negotiations and agreed Modalities and Procedures to allow CCS in CDM. These will both ensure both the hjosirest environmental protection and are workable for projects. The final decision text was adopted by Parties in the plenary of CMP 7 at 3:35pm on 9th December. A historic day for CCS! The draft decision and the Modalities and Procedures can be found at http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2011/cmp7/eng/l04.pdf .

This is important official recognition by the UNFCCC of the role of CCS in global climate change and sets an important precedent for the inclusion of CCS into other financing and technology support mechanisms. The Modalities and Procedures also establish the benchmark for managing CCS projects in developing countries. These benefits will exist whether or not there is a future CDM post Kyoto.

In terms of the bigger picture, Ministerial level negotiations continued intensely, both informally and formally all day Saturday, and on into the early hours of Sunday 11th, concluding at 6:22am! After several heart-stopping moments, significant agreements were achieved. These are for a roadmap to a legally binding agreement that includes all countries (developed and developing) taking on emissions targets, to be agreed by 2015 and implemented from 2020 (this is known as the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action). Importantly also agreed, to avoid a gap, was that a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol will be agreed by the end of 2012. Also, the Green Climate Fund was agreed which will fund developing countries for both mitigation and adaptation activities (note CCS is included as an example activity). Details of all will become available on http://unfccc.int/2860.php .

IEAGHG contributed very actively throughout the two weeks in Durban, supported by GCCSI and working with UK DECC and the EU.