COLOMBIA INCREASES FOCUS ON CLIMATE CHANGE IN

UNCLAS BOGOTA 000294

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV PGOV CO
SUBJECT: COLOMBIA INCREASES FOCUS ON CLIMATE CHANGE IN
LEAD-UP TO COPENHAGEN COP


1. (SBU) SUMMARY. Despite accounting for less than 0.3
percent of global emissions, the Colombian Ministry of
Environment (MOE) has placed increasing priority on climate
change issues due to growing concerns of the impact on
Colombia,s glaciers, coastal plains, and biodiversity. The
MOE has increased the budget of its Office of Climate Change
Mitigation (OCCM) by 400 percent in 2008 and added staff.
Environment Minister Juan Lozano told us the OCCM exists
directly under his management, given the importance of the
issue. The new resources have enabled the OCCM to develop
Colombia's first National Climate Change Policy, promote
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects, and aspire for a
larger role in United Nations Climate Change (UNFCCC)
discussions. The GOC plans to issue a point-by-point
Colombia position paper well in advance of December's COP in
Copenhagen. Much of this invigorated effort may be attributed
to the personal efforts of Minister Lozano, and it is unclear
whether this commitment is shared by his more powerful
colleagues in the GOC bureaucracy . END SUMMARY.

Low Overall Emissions
--------------


2. (SBU) With hydroelectric projects providing 70 percent of
Colombia's power, Colombia accounts for 0.24 percent of
global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Emissions are low per
capita and per unit of GDP. According to Klaus Schutze of
Colombia's Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and
Environmental Studies (IDEAM),agriculture ranks as the
single biggest GHG emitting sector in Colombia, due to
inefficient farming practices. As for methane, 80 percent of
emissions come from coal mining and exploration. Regardless,
Colombia's GHG emissions remain among the lowest in the
region and below those of Brazil, Mexico and Argentina.
Lozano told EconCouns that contributing to mitigation efforts
is a GOC priority, even though Colombia considers itself a
"victim" of climate change.

Climate Change Effects Significant
--------------


3. (SBU) According to Maria Cristina Duran, Environmental
Program Director of Colombia's Science & Technology Research
Institute (Colciencias),GOC research forecasts climate
change will most negatively impact Colombia's Andean mountain
regions (including glaciers, forests and wetlands) and
coastal areas. In Colombia's First Kyoto Communication in
2001, the GOC targeted those two specific ecosystems as most
vulnerable. Duran said that since 1980 Colombia's seven
remaining glaciers have reduced in size by approximately 2.5
percent each year, while rising sea levels threaten coastal
populations and harm marine life. The melting of glaciers
also reduces the reserves available for the hydroelectric
plants Colombia relies upon. Duran stated that Colciencias
increased its number of climate change/natural disaster
research grants to 16 in 2008 (an increase of 60 percent
since 2007) to gather more impact data, but acknowledged the
need for much more research given the immensity of the
subject.

MOE Dramatically Increases Funding
For Climate Change
--------------


4. (SBU) To address the aforementioned problems, the MOE has
increased the budget of its Office of Climate Change
Mitigation (OCCM) by 400 percent and hired eight new officers
during 2008. Lozano told EconCouns that climate change was a
top priority for the MOE, with the OCCM situated directly
under his management. He said the MOE was striving to
increase engagement on the issue from all GOC ministries, as
the GOC could not ask other countries to take steps to
promote mitigation that it was not doing itself. The MOE
created the OCCM with three officers in 2002, but according
to OCCM Director Andrea Guerrero the MOE barely had funds to
pay those salaries and none for program costs. Guerrero now
says the office has adequate funding to support new outreach
and project initiatives. She attributes the new
prioritization of climate change issues to Lozano's focus and
the global attention focused on the issue. Schutze
cautioned, however, that while high level interest in climate
change had definitely increased, education and concern
amongst the general population is still minimal.

New Climate Change Policy In 2009

--------------


5. (SBU) In addition to dedicating more resources, the MOE
plans to announce a new national climate change policy soon.
This policy, which Colombia's 2006-2010 National Development
Plan mandated the MOE to create, is now with Colombia's
Planning Ministry (DNP) for approval. The policy lays out
mitigation and adaptation requirements for the five sectors
listed in Annex A to the Kyoto Protocol: energy, industrial
processes, waste management, solvent and other product use,
and agriculture. No such climate policy nor law presently
exists in Colombia. Lozano said the policy will establish
the institutional framework to centralize the issue amongst
all GOC ministries, with the MOE as the leading institution.
The policy will institutionally mandate the involvement of
all cabinet offices. Lozano was optimistic that DNP will
approve the policy by early 2009, despite possible push-back
from the Ministry of Mines & Energy, with other ministry
approvals completed by mid-2009.

Clean Development Mechanism Projects
Take Root
--------------


6. (SBU) Meanwhile, the MOE is advancing 109 Clean
Development Mechanism (CDM) projects across the five Kyoto
Protocol Annex A sectors. Colombia currently has 32
registered CDM projects (including nationally and UN
registered projects),up from 17 in 2007. The remaining 77
are approved projects in the initiation stage. Energy
comprises 35 percent of the projects, primarily focused on
hydroelectric initiatives. Guerrero stated that Colombia
ranks fourth in Latin America in the number of CDM-approved
projects. The OCCM began weekly consultations with industry
in September 2008 to bring more companies on board, increase
the number of functioning CDM projects and to acquire
industry input on policy. Guerrero believes that recent OCCM
efforts to make industry aware of Colombia,s tax exemption
for GHG reduction technologies is one of the reasons CDM
projects have increased rapidly during the past year.

Striving To Be Heard In Kyoto Discussions
--------------


7. (SBU) Four representatives from Colombia, including
Lozano, attended the December 2008 UN Climate Change
Convention in Poland. Guerrero told us that in the past she
was the only official to travel to international meetings,
but that Lozano now plans to participate in all high-level
climate change negotiations. Due to their increased
resources and expertise, the OCCM aspires to move Colombia
toward taking a more vocal and powerful role within UNFCCC
discussions. Lozano stated, however, that the size and
diverse nature of the G-77 limits the GOC from having
negotiating power, especially vis-a-vis larger players such
as Brazil, China, India and South Africa. He added that the
Latin American bloc (GRULAC) is not unified and is unable to
present a common front within G-77 discussions. When asked
who Colombia's closest allies are in the UNFCCC, he responded
that "we have no consistent allies; they shift depending upon
the particular issue."

Disappointed With Poznan, But Looking
Ahead To Copenhagen
--------------


8. (SBU) Lozano told us that he was frustrated by the lack
of progress at Poznan, recognizing that it was difficult to
expect significant progress during the U.S. political
transition. Guerrero said that Colombia was concerned over
the stalemate on the adaptation fund, particularly developed
country resistance toward instituting levies on Joint
Implementation and Emissions Trading projects as a source of
additional revenue for the fund. Lozano indicated that the
GOC tactic would be to issue a detailed policy paper on every
key Copenhagen issue well in advance of the COP. He believes
that this will not only provide clarity to the GOC position,
but will allow Colombia to wield more influence in G-77
discussions. Guerrero said adaptation financing, as well as
reducing emissions from deforestation and technology
transfer, would be their key Copenhagen issues.

COMMENT: Noble Intentions, But is the Rest
of Government on Board?
--------------



9. (SBU) As evidenced by the increase in resources and
initiatives, climate change has become an important policy
focus for the MOE. In great part, the new resources,
personnel, and attention stem directly from Lozano's personal
involvement. Lozano's goal is to increase the GOC, not
simply the MOE, emphasis on climate change. Climate has not
traditionally been a priority issue for the GOC (witness the
size of their negotiating team),and it is unclear whether
Loazno's enthusiasm is shared much beyond MOE walls. Since
there has been no interagency process for determining climate
policy, Lozano has been able to move forward aggressively
under the radar. As he tries to extend the reach of
Colombian climate policy, we expect that he will run into
resistance from more heavyweight ministries such as Defense,
Finance, Trade and Agriculture.

BROWNFIELD