Global IssuesCOP19—Warsaw Climate Conference
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Introduction
November 11 – 23, 2013, Warsaw, Poland was the venue for the 19th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as the 19th Conference of the Parties — or COP 19.
The purpose of this conference was to create a loss and damage pillar of a new climate treaty to be finalized in 2015. The other two pillars discussed in previous meetings are mitigation (emission reductions) and adaptation pillars.
Meeting outcome
The main outcome of the meeting was the establishment of an international mechanism for a loss and damage associated with climate change impacts .
Predictably, the loss and damage aspect of climate negotiations brought out the worst in some countries. Some developing countries were going to resist the idea of financing adaptation to climate change, while others appeared to hate the idea of climate reparations for poor countries. A few years earlier, industrialized nations had made a legal commitment to a global climate fund. Unsurprisingly, not much came of it, as Inter Press Service summarized,
In 2009 at the semi-infamous Copenhagen talks, the rich countries made a deal with developing countries, saying in effect:
We’ll give you billions of dollars for adaptation, ramping up to 100 billion dollars a year by 2020, in exchange for our mitigation amounting to small CO2 cuts instead of making the big cuts that we should do.The money to help poor countries adapt flowed for the first three years but has largely dried up. Warsaw was supposed to be the
Finance COPto bring the promised money. That didn't happen.Countries like Germany, Switzerland and others in Europe only managed to scrape together promises of 110 million dollars into the Green Climate Fund. Developing countries wanted a guarantee of 70 billion a year by 2016 but were blocked by the U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan and others.
It got to the point that hundreds of representatives from various NGOs walked out of the negotiating rooms to protest against developed countries’ reluctance to commit to a loss and damage mechanism. And this was a day after the G77+China group of 133 developing countries walked out of negotiations over the same thing.
Looking through the briefing reports from the respected NGO, the Third World Network, It seems that on the surface, while an outcome was eventually thrashed out, there are many areas of weakness of sufficient vagueness to satisfy everyone that contentious issues that are seemingly resolved can still be challenged and changed in the future.
In context: common but differentiated responsibilities
Many years ago all nations agreed that climate change was largely the result of actions from today’s industrialized nations, as carbon dioxide — the main greenhouse gas — stays in the atmosphere for decades. Yet, the poorest would end up suffering the most for a problem they largely did not cause. The approaches to mitigation (emissions reduction) would therefore be different for those groups of countries — the common but differentiated responsibilities principle.
It is in this context that the discussion for loss and damage has come about. And it is something that rich countries are keen to get rid of .
The years of resistance on this issue (and many others) means each time it is discussed again the reactions seem to get even more hostile. Combined with the lack of detailed context in the mainstream media coverage of this aspect, it then becomes easier each time to see culprits as China and India given their enormous greenhouse emissions in recent years, compared to the far greater amount by the industrialized nations over the longer period. See this site’s section on climate justice for more detailed background.
In context: Typhoon Haiyan
The meeting came at the time when the devastating Typhoon Haiyan had just killed thousands in the Philippines and affected millions more. It was an ominous warning of what could be more frequent as climate change continues to take hold.
It was also an example of how poorer nations could be affected by a problem they have largely not been responsible for and that while all the international outpouring of aid and assistance was incredibly welcome, that support for preventing and adapting to such events is paramount and efforts are urgently needed to curb emission increases.
In an emotional speech the Philippines lead negotiator for the conference, Naderev Saño, received a standing ovation for announcing that he will go on a hunger strike until a meaningful outcome is in sight.
Lack of urgency
Inter Press Service (IPS) noted the seeming lack of urgency given the years and years of delay and watering down of meaningful action:
To have a good chance at staying under two degrees C, industrialised countries need to crash their CO2 emissions 10 percent per year starting in 2014, said Kevin Anderson of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of Manchester.
We can still do two C but not the way we're going,Anderson said on the sidelines of COP 19 in Warsaw. He wondered why negotiators on the inside are not reacting to the reality that it is too late for incremental changes.
I’m really stunned there is no sense of urgency here,he told IPS.
More information
As the conference is still underway as this page is written, more information will be added here after the event is over.
For more about the issues from other organizations, here are some starting points:
News stories from IPS
Below is a list of stories from Inter Press Service related to the Warsaw climate conference and its aftermath.
Welcoming Science: CGIAR Week-Long Focus on Innovation for Food, Climate-Secure Future
- Inter Press Service
NAIROBI, Apr 07 (IPS) - The world’s leading scientists and decision-makers in agriculture, climate, and health are meeting in Nairobi this week to promote innovation and partnerships towards a food, nutrition, and climate-secure future. As current agrifood systems buckle under multiple challenges, nearly one in 11 people globally and one in five people in Africa go hungry every day.
CGIAR Science Week Seeks Solutions for a Food-Secure, Climate Resilient Future
- Inter Press Service
NAIROBI, Apr 07 (IPS) - CGIAR and the Kenyan Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) are bringing together the world’s leading scientists and decision-makers in agriculture, climate, and health for the first CGIAR Science Week. This gathering will be a key moment to advance research and innovation, inspire action, and establish critical partnerships that can secure investment in sustainable food systems for people and the planet.
Global Climate Action Progressing, but Speed and Scale Still Lacking
- Inter Press Service
Mar 31 (IPS) - 2025 marks the tenth anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement. One of its chief architects, Christiana Figueres, says the world is heading in the right direction but warns that urgent action is needed to close critical gaps.
Latin America & the Caribbean in 2024: Renewable Energy and Early Warning Systems Offer Hope Amid Climate Extremes
- Inter Press Service
DOMINICA, Mar 28 (IPS) - The World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Climate in Latin America and the Caribbean report recounts the toll of record-breaking hurricanes, heat and flooding in the Region, but shines light on renewable energy and a response to the call for robust, end-to-end early warning systems.Hope in the face of climate extremes. That is the overarching message about the State of the Climate in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2024.
Can renewable energy survive climate change?
- UN News
As droughts reduce hydropower and clouds dim solar output around the world, experts say meteorology and climate science must be at the heart of the energy transition.
‘Renewables are renewing economies’, UN chief tells top climate forum
- UN News
Ministers from 40 countries met on Wednesday at the first major climate forum of 2025 to discuss progress in renewable energy generation and the rising toll of inaction over rising temperatures.
Strengthening Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities’ Knowledge and Access Opens up Opportunities for Climate, Biodiversity and Desertification Action
- Inter Press Service
RICHMOND HILL, Ontario, Canada, Mar 25 (IPS) - The central role Indigenous Peoples and local communities in addressing climate change, biodiversity loss and desertification has gained widespread recognition over the past decade. Indigenous Peoples’ close dependence on resources and ecosystems, exceptional tradition, and ancestral knowledge are invaluable assets for the sustainable management of our planet’s natural resources.
Award Winning Women Goat Herders in Chile Confront Climate Change
- Inter Press Service
OVALLE, Chile, Mar 21 (IPS) - Chile's goat tradition began in 1544. Now, despite a prolonged drought, the women herders are adapting it to climate change and producing award-winning cheese.Women goat herders in the municipality of Ovalle, in northern Chile, are confronting climate change by defending their heritage through improvements in the quality and variety of their products, which has led some to win international awards for their cheeses.
End of eternal ice: Many glaciers will not survive this century, climate scientists say
- UN News
Glaciers in many regions will not survive the 21st century if they keep melting at the current rate, potentially jeopardising hundreds of millions of people living downstream, UN climate experts said on the first World Day for Glaciers.
Climate change: Paris Agreement goals still within reach, says UN chief
- UN News
The effects of human-driven climate change surged to alarming levels in 2024, with some consequences likely to be irreversible for centuries - if not millennia – according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
CARICOM Leaders Take Steps to Tackle Crime, Climate, Trade and Food Crises
- Inter Press Service
DOMINICA, Feb 24 (IPS) - CARICOM leaders wrapped up a crucial meeting on February 21, reaffirming their commitment to tackling pressing regional challenges with unity and resolve. From crime and security to education, trade and climate change, the leaders highlighted the need for decisive action amid global uncertainties.
Blamed for Causing Droughts: Zimbabwe’s LGBTQI Community Faces Climate Crisis Head-on
- Inter Press Service
MUTARE, Zimbabwe, Feb 20 (IPS) - Wrongfully accused of
causing droughts,
a group of LGBTQI people in Zimbabwe involved themselves in climate-smart agriculture and are now showing the way to mitigate climate change in a country recently devastated by El Niño-induced drought.Takudzwa Saruwaka is hoeing weeds in a cowpea field in eastern Zimbabwe one morning in February, trying to beat torrential rains threatening from the gray clouds above.Food, Water, Crime, Climate Change: CARICOM Leaders Begin 48th Conference with Commitment to Joint Action on Critical, Common Concerns
- Inter Press Service
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Feb 20 (IPS) - Leaders of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) are meeting in Bridgetown from Feb. 19-21, as the world grapples with multiple crises, including escalating geopolitical conflicts, climate change and rising food insecurity.
Human Insecurity from Climate Change on Vanuatu and Guam
- Inter Press Service
Feb 13 (IPS) - The climate crisis is severely endangering human well-being. While the climate security nexus is omnipresent in national security strategies and on international institutions’ agendas, political responses remain insufficient and are often problematic. Among other issues, related policies often struggle with siloization or a focus on symptoms instead of root causes.
Airing climate justice in Costa Rica on World Radio Day
- UN News
Quality radio remains ever universal, popular and more reliable in an era of artificial intelligence (AI) and social media, including in Costa Rica, where unique programming raises awareness and promotes public participation on climate decision making in Latin America, the theme of this year’s World Radio Day, marked annually on 13 February.
Shaping Conditions for Fair, Equitable and Enduring Climate Finance
- Inter Press Service
Feb 11 (IPS) - The global commitment to fair climate finance is at a crossroads. COP29 concluded with a disappointing New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG), leaving developing nations at risk of being left behind. With the U.S. withdrawing from the Paris Agreement and slashing development aid, prospects for more ambitious fair climate finance are getting out of sight.
WFP, FAO Warn of the Severity of the Climate Crisis and Food Insecurity
- Inter Press Service
UNITED NATIONS, Feb 07 (IPS) - Over the past few years, climate shocks have become more frequent and have devastated economies and agriculture systems, exacerbating widespread malnutrition and hunger. It has become increasingly apparent that the utilization of sustainable agriculture practices and disaster risk management systems are crucial to fulfill growing needs as natural resources continue to dwindle.
Can We Still Solve Climate Change?
- Inter Press Service
SAN FRANCISCO, California / APEX, North Carolina, Jan 31 (IPS) - When it comes to climate change, the awful news has been coming thick and fast. We now know that in 2024, the Earth’s average temperature exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for the first time.
Can We Still Solve Climate Change?
- Inter Press Service
SAN FRANCISCO, California / APEX, North Carolina, Jan 30 (IPS) - When it comes to climate change, the awful news has been coming thick and fast. We now know that in 2024, the Earth’s average temperature exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for the first time.
At Davos, Guterres slams backsliding on climate commitments
- UN News
The world’s political and business elite present in Davos on Wednesday faced an uncompromising address from UN chief António Guterres as he rounded on a lack of multilateral collaboration in an “increasingly rudderless world” at risk from two existential dangers: climate change and unregulated Artificial Intelligence (AI).
UN regrets US exit from global cooperation on health, climate change agreement
- UN News
UN agencies responded on Tuesday to President Trump’s executive orders ending US membership of the World Health Organization (WHO) and its adherence to the Paris Climate Agreement, highlighting the massive potential negative impact on public health and efforts to curb global warming.
Climate emergency: 2025 declared international year of glaciers
- UN News
As glaciers disappear at an alarming rate due to climate change, the UN General Assembly has declared 2025 the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation (IYGP).
Our Health is at Stake: The Solutions SIDS Need to Fight Climate Change
- Inter Press Service
KINGSTON, Jamaica, Jan 08 (IPS) - Climate change is one of the most serious global threats to the future of the world’s population. Its impact extends far and wide, from the economy to governance to the very health and well-being of society.
The climate crisis: 5 things to watch out for in 2025
- UN News
The Amazonian city of Belém, Brazil, will be the global focus of efforts to tackle the climate crisis next year, when it hosts one of the most significant UN climate conferences in recent years. However, well before the event in November, 2025 will see plenty of opportunities to make important progress on several climate-related issues, from the staggering levels of plastic pollution to financing the shift to a cleaner global economy.
UN World Court concludes landmark hearings on States’ responsibility for climate change
- UN News
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) held historic hearings from 2 to 13 December addressing States’ obligations under international law to combat climate change, a process spearheaded by small island nations facing existential threats.
The Climate Crisis as a Diplomatic Battlefield
- Inter Press Service
ACCRA, Ghana, Dec 18 (IPS) - The climate crisis, a defining challenge of the 21st century, is not just an environmental issue; it is increasingly a critical arena for international diplomacy. From intense negotiations at COP summits to the politics of energy transitions and resource control, climate change is shaping the geopolitical landscape.
America’s Climate Carousel
- Inter Press Service
ABERDEEN, Scotland, Dec 17 (IPS) - The rhythmic swing of American climate policy has taken another dramatic turn. With Donald Trump’s return to the US presidency in mid-January next year, the international climate community will find itself bracing for what many fear will be another American exodus from the Paris Agreement.
How an African Bioeconomy Can Strengthen Agrifood Systems in the Context of a Changing Climate
- Inter Press Service
DAKAR, Senegal, Dec 16 (IPS) - From increased pests and diseases to lower crop yields and extreme weather events, the adverse impacts of climate change on agriculture in Africa cannot be overstated.
COP29: Advancing work for Climate Finance and for Climate-Adapted Agri-Food Systems
- Inter Press Service
GENEVA, Dec 12 (IPS) - Frustrations over the pace of climate action and the size of the finance target agreed in Baku are valid from the perspective of low-income countries, especially Small-Island Developing States (SIDS). It is also important to recognize that there has been real progress in some countries at the agri-food-nutrition-climate-water-nature-livelihoods intersection, and this seems to be particularly the case in some countries in the Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation (ACF).
Once Scattered by Colonialism, Today United in Urgent Pursuit of Climate Justice
- Inter Press Service
THE HAGUE & NAIROBI, Dec 11 (IPS) - The Seychelles consider the ongoing public hearings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) both timely and critical “for the people of the small island developing state in the middle of the Indian Ocean,” Flavien Joubert, Minister for Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment of the Seychelles, told the court today.
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