As an Australian climate activist with the CAN network I attended COP22 UNFCCC climate conference in Marrakech, Morocco. This presentation doesn't go into the fine details of the negotiations, but covers the political mood and momentum of the conference. "It's all in the vibe", as solicitor Denis would say from the classic Australian movie The Castle.

1. Reviewing Marrakech COP22
John Englart – Climate Action Moreland

2. Reviewing Marrakech COP22
Main Focus: implementation of Paris Agreement
Also Encouraging pre-2020 emissions cuts,
especially through non-state action
John Englart – Climate Action Moreland
Photo: Heads of State and Ministers gather for High Level COP Plenary

3. Revision - Paris Agreement COP21
● Paris Agreement first envisaged in Durban 2011 as
coming into effect 2020
● Each country sets own climate plans (Nationally
Determined Contributions - NDC)
● Not legally binding, but politically binding model with peer
pressure
● Ambition mechanism: each 5 years a Global Stocktake to
ratchet up NDCs
● PA Came into force 4 November 2016 before COP22. In
Record time for a UN treaty.
● Early entry into force took most people by surprise.
Reviewing Marrakech COP22
John Englart – Climate Action Moreland

4. Reviewing Marrakech COP22
John Englart – Climate Action Moreland
●
Keep temperatures well below
2C, strive for 1.5C (Article 2)
● Balance between emissions
and sinks in second half of
century (Article 4)
● Global peaking of Green House
Gases ASAP (Article 4)
●
2016 hottest year on record
with 1.2C warming from pre-
industrial times. Global Average
temperature for February-
March 2016 spiked at 1.5C
Sources: Decision COP.21 /Paris Agreement,
Copernicus 2017 5 Jan2017
Paris Agreement - Targets

5. Reviewing Marrakech COP22
John Englart – Climate Action Moreland
Paris Agreement –
Emissions Gap
● Current policies on track for
3.6C – 4.9C by 2100
● NDCs, many conditional, add up
to 2.8C – 3.5C of warming by
2100
● 5 nations plans ‘sufficient’:
Morocco, Costa Rica, Ethiopia,
Bhutan, The Gambia
● Importance of ambition
mechanism to close this gap
and non-state action.
Source: http://climateactiontracker.org/

6. Marrakech opened with momentum
● Montreal Protocol Kilgali amendment on HFC gases –
saving up to 0.5C by 2100
● International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) carbon
offsets scheme (CORSIA) from 2020
● Cities, businesses, regional governments, and other non-
state actors stepping up action
Reviewing Marrakech COP22
John Englart – Climate Action Moreland
Photo: Watching Opening COP Plenary inside Casablanca Plenary hall (Overflow)

7. Fine details (the rulebook) to be negotiated and codified.
These include Transparency and accounting framework measures:
● Standardised carbon accounting, methodologies, modalities in NDCs,
● International market mechanism,
● Technology mechanism,
● Global stocktake,
● Compliance mechanism,
● Adaptation framework,
● Loss and Damage framework,
● More work on Finance and $100 billion p.a. international roadmap
Outcome:
Marrakech set the timetable for completing the Rulebook by COP24 in
Poland in 2018.
Reviewing Marrakech COP22
John Englart – Climate Action Moreland

8. Election of Donald Trump as US
President in first week distracted and
depressed the mood of negotiations
Implications
● Possible withdrawal of US from either
Paris Agreement or the UNFCCC
● Possible loss of funds to UNFCCC
and $100 billion pa roadmap
● Who might replace US climate
leadership? Is this important?
● China stepping up.
● Europe still has a key role
● Role of India key but they were
silent
● Other countries? Brazil? Canada?
Reviewing Marrakech COP22
John Englart – Climate Action Moreland
US Presidential election and COP22
Photo: Alden Meyer of Union of
Concerned Scientists as part of US civil
society groups addressing press
conference after the election.

9. US election: Statements by civil
society & business groups
● Transition already happening
in many US states, cities
and businesses.
● US transition cannot be
stopped, but maybe slowed
down, targets not met.
● Simple economics driving
continued transition, with
renewables cheaper than
fossil fuels.
● Reversing Obama’s executive
policy decisions on clean
energy & environment will
be hotly contested
Reviewing Marrakech COP22
John Englart – Climate Action Moreland

10. US election Reaction by negotiators:
● Additional negotiation stream
sessions added
● Anecdotal: 3 Fossil of the day
awards cancelled – an indicator?
● Marrakech Action Proclamation:
consensus statement on sense
of urgency and momentum
● High Level 100 percent
Renewables side event with
support of UN secretariat, CVF.
#Go100RE
● Last Day CVF statement (48
nations) to transition to 100
percent renewables ASAP
before 2050
Reviewing Marrakech COP22
John Englart – Climate Action Moreland

11. Australia at COP22
● Australia lodged ratification of Paris
Agreement and Doha amendment
(Kyoto Protocol)
● 3 background briefings by Australian
ambassador for Australian
stakeholders
● 2 ministers attended, available to
meet at a cocktail party event, but no
briefings
● Australia under the spotlight at SBI
Multilateral assessment facilitative
dialogue
● Julie Bishop delivered high level
statement to COP
● Julie Bishop signed 2nd Because the
Ocean Declaration on marine
conservation
http://takvera.blogspot.com.au/search/label/COP22
Reviewing Marrakech COP22
John Englart – Climate Action Moreland
Photo: Foreign Minister Julie Bishop delivering
Australia’s official statement to the COP
Photo: Australia’s lead negotiator Patrick Suckling
answers questions at SBI Facilitative Dialogue

12. CAN Fossil of the Day awards:
● Fossil of the day awards can be surprisingly
effective, sometimes impacting negotiations
or politics back home in the featured
country.
● Russia scored the Colossal Fossil award for
2016 at COP22.
● Ray of the COP went to the Climate
Vulnerable Forum (CVF) for pushing the
envelope on 100 percent renewables
● Two awards for Australia:
● For Frydenberg using the COP to complain
about civil society working across borders
● Australia Shared an award for being one of
the nations increasing fossil fuel production
Source: https://www.facebook.com/FossilOfTheDay/
Reviewing Marrakech COP22
John Englart – Climate Action Moreland

13. Momentum After COP22 (1 of 4)
Global Divestment:
● Doubled in 15 months - US$2.6 trillion to US$5 trillion in assets by
December 2016. (350.org)
https://350.org/big-divestment-news/
Reviewing Marrakech COP22
John Englart – Climate Action Moreland

14. Momentum After COP22 (2 of 4)
United States:
Despite the climate denialism in a Trump
administration, it will be difficult to stop zero
carbon transition already underway and
driven by economic forces, with action by
citizens, businesses and states. Progress
may however be slowed, and climate targets
are likely not to be achieved.
● 33 states and District of Columbia have cut carbon emissions while expanding
economies since 2000
● 15 states, led by California, New York, Virginia, Vermont, New Mexico, told Trump that
if he tries to kill US climate plans, they will see him in court.(Climate Home 29Dec2016)
● West Coast Leaders statement on conclusion of COP22 (pacificcoastcollaborative.org
18Nov2016)
● California Governor Brown to Climate Scientists: "We will persevere" (Youtube AGU16)
● Barack Obama, The irreversible momentum of clean energy (Science 9 Jan2017)
● 630 companies and investors call on Trump to continue low carbon transition
(Independent 10 Jan2017)
● Grassroots resistance and community organising growing
Reviewing Marrakech COP22
John Englart – Climate Action Moreland

15. Momentum After COP22 (3 of 4)
China:
China emerging as global climate leader.
●
China clearly sees political opportunity for
leadership on climate at global level
(Source: Yale e360 21Nov2016)
● Rapidly expanding renewables to counter
major air pollution problem. China Aims to
Spend at Least $360 Billion on Renewable
Energy by 2020. (New York Times 5Jan2017)
●
China raises its low carbon ambitions in new
2020 targets - Methodical climate action in
China’s Energy 13FYP (EcoBusiness 11
Jan2017)
●
Two years ago China didn't have any green
bonds. In 2016, 41 percent of these securities
were issued there. (Bloomberg 7 Sep2016)
● Fujian launches China’s eighth pilot carbon
market December 2016 (Carbonpulse), ahead
of rollout of national Emissions Trading
scheme in 2017.
Reviewing Marrakech COP22
John Englart – Climate Action Moreland

16. Momentum After COP22 (4 of 4)
India:
● India silent on Trump victory at COP22 (Climate Home 18Nov2016)
● India plans 57% of electricity capacity from non-fossil fuels by 2027,
exceeding their Paris promise 40% by 2030. Effectively makes 50GW of
planned coal plant projects stranded. (Source: The Guardian 22Dec2016)
● World’s largest solar PV farm with 648 MW capacity opens in Kamuthi,
Tamil Nadu (Electrik 30Nov2016)
● The next big climate battle starts in India (Source: Bloomberg 23Dec2016)
Reviewing Marrakech COP22
John Englart – Climate Action Moreland

17. Negotiations Moving Forward
COP23 (2017)
● Will be under Fiji presidency but held in Bonn, Germany.
● Likely to focus on technical details, includes SBSTA advice on how IPCC
can inform global stocktake, and Adaptation institutional arrangement
review.
COP24 (2018)
● Will be in Poland. Milestone COP.
● Will have Paris Agreement rulebook to consider,
● Facilitative dialogue to take stock of collective efforts toward net zero.
● Consider IPCC special report on impacts of global warming of 1.5C.
COP26 (2020)
● Countries to communicate/update NDC 9-12 months before the COP
COP29 (2023)
● First global stocktake and every 5 years thereafter
Reviewing Marrakech COP22
John Englart – Climate Action Moreland

18. Reality has now superceeded the talks
Saleemul Huq from Bangladesh said 9 November, after the US
election result:
“The reality of climate change now has superceeded the
talks on climate change. The talks don’t matter anymore. It’s
what you do in reality.
“Countries are already moving forward for their own reasons,
and that is a good thing.
“One of the good things about the Paris Agreement is that
Countries agreed to take action for their own good, not
because someone was telling them what to do. If a country
does not do it, that is up to that country, others are going to
carry on doing it.
“Right now, China matters much more than the United
States. Where China goes, the rest of the world will go.
“China has already decided they are going to be part of the
solution; they are going to be a first mover into a post-
fossilfuel era; they are investing heavily in non-fossil fuel
energy; they are decelerating their fossil fuel investments
even though they are sitting on huge amounts of coal.
“They are not going to use that coal.
“Where China goes, the rest of the world will go and Trump
will follow.”
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eSuC2TIG2 Y
Reviewing Marrakech COP22
John Englart – Climate Action Moreland
Photo: Saleemul Huq is a
Senior Fellow with International
Institute for Environment and
Development (IIED), an expert
on the links between climate
change and sustainable
development

19. Mood at the end of COP22
● Still strong momentum for climate action
● Determination to move forward.
Reviewing Marrakech COP22
John Englart – Climate Action Moreland

20. My Role at COP22 with CAN
My second COP. More involved with
Climate Action Network in Marrakech than
Paris.
● CAN strategy meeting before COP
● CAN daily meetings at COP
● CAN general assembly
(Governance)
● CAN volunteer: Daily Fossil of the
Day videographer, social media
● CAN volunteer: on ECO news
editorial board
● CAN bunkers working group
Reviewing Marrakech COP22
John Englart – Climate Action Moreland
Photo: At the CAN strategy meeting at Cady
Ayaad University on Sunday prior to COP22
The Climate Action Network: brings together regional nodes of climate action
organisations, including many grassroots and community based activist
organisations like Climate Action Moreland, as well as major NGOs such as
Greenpeace, Oxfam. It plays an important role in advocating for civil society at
UN climate conferences in the negotiations.

21. My Role at COP22 –
Australian observer
● Attended the 3 background briefings by
Australian delegation
● Attended SBI multilateral assessment -
Australia
● Attended opening plenary and high level
COP plenary (national statements)
● Attended high level event on oceans at
French Pavilion with Julie Bishop
● Miscellaneous Press conferences, side
events, actions
● Attended civil society climate march and
rally
●
Produced 16 articles related to COP22
● Published Photos: 236 of COP22, 179 of
climate march (All Creative commons)
● 22 Youtube videos
Reviewing Marrakech COP22
John Englart – Climate Action Moreland
Photo: Foreign Minister Julie Bishop
signs Because the Ocean 2nd Declaration
Photo: New found friends: Morocco,
Australia, South Africa at climate march

22. Morocco mosques go green
● Six hundred “green
mosques” to be created in
Morocco by March 2019
● a national consciousness-
raising initiative that aims to
speed the country’s journey
to clean energy.
● Includes LED lighting, solar
thermal water heaters and
photovoltaic systems
installed in 100 mosques by
the end of 2016.
Source: Guardian 5 Sep 2016
Reviewing Marrakech COP22
John Englart – Climate Action Moreland

23. Reviewing Marrakech COP22
John Englart – Climate Action Moreland
Morocco Renewables
On a one day trip to Essaouira
on the coast I saw the wind farm
across the bay from this World
Heritage Listed site. Morocco
updated it’s NDC just before
COP22. It is one of 5 countries
that Climate Tracker lists as
‘sufficient’ for their climate
policies.

24. Morocco Renewables
After the conference I traveled over
the Atlas Mountains to the Draa
Valley and Zagora. At Ouarzazate I
saw from a distance the solar
power complex with Noor 1 already
built, Noor 2 and 3 under
construction, Noor 4 in planning.
Noor 1: 160MW with 3 hrs storage
Noor 2: 200MW with 7 hrs storage
Noor 3: 150MW with 8 hrs storage
Noor 4: 80MW solar PV farm
Reviewing Marrakech COP22
John Englart – Climate Action Moreland

25. Morocco Renewables
The Berber desert camp
near Zagora recharges
LED lights by solar PV
panels, to provide light for
tourists at night. Solar
supporting Camel trekking
in the Sahara desert.
Reviewing Marrakech COP22
John Englart – Climate Action Moreland

26. Reviewing Marrakech COP22
John Englart – Climate Action Moreland
References:
●
My COP22 Photos
https://www.flickr.com/photos/takver/albums/72157675997722506
●
My COP22 articles
http://takvera.blogspot.com/search/label/COP22
●
Thanks to CANA for selecting me for NGO observer accreditation