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all things originate from being

being originates from non-being

CA Senate Committee on A.B. 32 Market Mechanisms Overview Today

Today, Chairman of the California Air Resources Board Mary D.
Nichols will address the Senate Select Committee on the
Environment, the Economy, and Climate Change during an
informational hearing titled “A.B. 32 Market Mechanisms
Overview”.

The hearing is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. in Room 3191 in
the California State Capitol.
It will be broadcast and televised. For details go to:
http://senate.ca.gov/todaysevents

The Chairman’s testimony will be posted at
http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/capandtrade/capandtrade.htm
when the committee adjourns.

SBSTA 34 text on REDD

This is text of the L.14 SBSTA document, hyperlinked in the blog title.

TFG believes this text reflects some minor progress on key issues, there is room for more progress to be made by SBSTA35/COP17, but the progress is minimal.

fccc/SBSTA/2011/L.14

Distr.: Limited 16 June 2011

Original: English

Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice Thirty-fourth session Bonn, 6–16 June 2011

Agenda item 4

Methodological guidance for activities relating to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries

Methodological guidance for activities relating to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries

Draft conclusions proposed by the Chair

1. The Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) considered views on methodological guidance for activities relating to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries, taking into account issues identified in appendix II to decision 1/CP.16 and relevant issues.

2. In considering methodological issues referred to in paragraph 1 above, Parties identified a range of issues, including guidance on systems for providing information on how safeguards referred to in appendix I to decision 1/CP.16 are addressed and respected, modalities relating to forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels, and modalities for measuring, reporting and verifying as referred to in appendix II to decision 1/CP.16.

3. The SBSTA decided to continue its consideration of the methodological guidance referred to in paragraph 1 above, taking into account the elements referred to in the annex, with the aim of completing its work on these matters at its thirty-fifth session and reporting to the Conference of the Parties at its seventeenth session on progress made, including any recommendations for draft decisions on this matter.

4. The SBSTA invited Parties and accredited observers to submit to the secretariat, by 19 September 2011, their views on the issues identified in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 above. It requested the secretariat to compile the submissions by Parties into a miscellaneous document for consideration by the SBSTA at its thirty-fifth session. The SBSTA requested the secretariat to organize, subject to the availability of supplementary funds, meetings of technical experts on matters referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 above, including a meeting before its thirty-fifth session.

5. The SBSTA requested its Chair to continue exploring ways of facilitating the coordination of the activities relating to decisions 2/CP.13, 4/CP.15 and 1/CP.16, and to report back to the SBSTA at future sessions.

6. The SBSTA took note of the progress report by the secretariat on the implementation of the activities identified in document FCCC/SBSTA/2010/6, paragraph 40, in particular the establishment of an interactive discussion forum on the web platform.1 The SBSTA encouraged all Parties and their relevant experts, relevant organizations and stakeholders to participate actively in the interactive discussion forum.

7. The SBSTA encouraged Parties to support the other activities identified in its conclusions at its thirty-second session2 and those identified in decisions 2/CP.13, 4/CP.15 and 1/CP.16. It also reminded Parties, relevant organizations and stakeholders to continue sharing information and experiences on these activities via the web platform on the UNFCCC website.

Annex

General guidance for submissions and future work regarding: guidance on systems for providing information on how safeguards referred to in appendix I to decision 1/CP.16 are addressed and respected; modalities relating to forest reference emission levels and forest reference levels; and modalities for measuring, reporting and verifying as referred to in appendix II to decision 1/CP.16

1. Guidance on systems for providing information on how safeguards are addressed and respected:

(a) Characteristics;

(b) Design;

(c) Provision of information;

(d) Potential barriers, including barriers, if any, to providing information, on addressing and respecting safeguards;

(e) Other relevant issues.

2. Guidance for modalities relating to forest reference levels and forest reference emission levels:

(a) Scope and/or purpose;

(b) Characteristics, including elements listed in paragraph 1 of appendix I to decision 1/CP.16;

(c) Guidance for the construction;

(d) Process for communication;

(e) Other relevant issues.

3. Guidance on modalities for measuring, reporting and verifying, as referred to in appendix II to decision 1/CP.16:

(a) Characteristics, including elements listed in paragraph 1 of appendix I to decision 1/CP.16;

(b) Elements;

(c) Process for reporting;

(d) Other relevant issues.

Kenyan Ministry Funds Millions To Expand Forest Cover

Courts OK CA cap and trade work to continue

This article (hyperlinked in blog title) suggests California regulators may be planning on a stall court campaign for the next rounds of legal challenges, hoping that creating a cap and trade program may help repel any eventual challenge.

SBSTA 34, REDD+, reference levels

TFG's SBSTA recommendations includes 3 elements of a decision:

(1) SBSTA recommends that COP17 invites developing Country Parties to submit to the secretariat, for publication on the REDD Web Platform, proposed REDD+ reference levels and reference emission levels, with the following information:

• Historical rates of emissions from deforestation and degradation

• The time period used for estimating historical activity data and any relevant explanation of these time periods

• Information on forest classes, activity data, and emissions factors used in proposing REDD+ reference levels and the methods used for following IPCC guidance, including use of the IPCC Emission Factor Database, and any relevant estimates of uncertainty.

• A weighting factor to adjust historical levels for national circumstances

• Any proposed quantitative adjustment to historical rates based on the weighting factor.

• Any subnational allocations of REDD+ reference levels and reference emission levels and any explanation as to how subnational allocations were made.

(2) SBSTA recommends that COP17 request SBSTA, in cooperation with the Secretariat, and based on REDD+ reference levels and reference emission levels published on the REDD Web Platform, to establish a system for encouraging transparent expert review of the levels in (1).

(3) SBSTA annually publishes summary reports of the levels (1) and the outcomes of the review (2) and forward these to COPs for consideration, beginning at COP19.