Copenhagen Climate Summit: Colombian Delegation, Priorities,

UNCLAS BOGOTA 003511 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV EAID ECON ENRG PGOV PREL UN CO SUBJECT: Copenhagen Climate Summit: Colombian Delegation, Priorities, and Issues REF: A) WHA/EPSC COLON 12/1 EMAIL; B) BOGOTA 3489; C) BOGOTA 3303 ¶1. (U) Summary. At the Copenhagen Climate Change conference, Environment Minister Carlos Costa will lead the Colombian delegation, which includes the Vice Minister of Multilateral Affairs, Director of IDEAM (a NOAA-like institution),and other advisors. Per reftels, Colombia will continue to be a strong ally within the G-77 seeking to reach a political agreement at Copenhagen. Costa would like the United States to take a more "public" stance on its climate change commitments, and proposes the U.S. announce either a U.S.-Colombia forest preservation project or joint scientific research on carbon sequestration in the Andean highlands. The GOC will not commit to a specific emissions goal, but calls for developed nations to do so. Colombia wants to be considered a country vulnerable to climate change, and will push for the establishment of a fund for mitigation and adaptation projects for non-developed countries. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) Per reftel A, the following Colombian delegates are traveling to Copenhagen: Carlos Costa, Minister of Environment; Adriana Mejia, Environment Vice Minister of Multilateral Affairs; Yadir Salazar, MFA Director of Economic, Social and Environmental Affairs; Ricardo Lozano, Director of IDEAM (Instituto de Hidrologia, Meteorologia y Estudios Ambientales); and Advisors from IDEAM and the Ministries of Environment, Foreign Relations, Interior, Justice, and Commerce, Industry, and Tourism. ¶3. (SBU) Forestry an Important Theme. Minister Costa confirmed to the DCM that Colombia will be an ally at Copenhagen on issues of monitoring, verification and public disclosure of initiatives (ref B). Preservation of forests also will be a key issue for Colombia at Copenhagen, due to its large tropical forests and its potential to be a market for carbon offsets or REDD program participant. Costa urged that the United States announce publicly a joint forest-preservation project in one or more of Colombia's national parks. He also offered the idea of announcing a joint scientific research on carbon sequestration in the highland paramos. ¶4. (U) Finance and Technology. Colombia supports the establishment of finance mechanisms for adaptation and mitigation, specifically a US$140 billion per year fund for non-developed countries. The GOC also has made it clear that it considers Colombia a country highly vulnerable to climate change, and as such, hopes to be a recipient of funds for technology. Colombia is generally supportive of U.S. views on intellectual property rights, but places high importance on access to technology for adaptation and mitigation initiatives. ¶5. (U) Legal Agreement by mid-2010. GOC officials have expressed disappointment at the likely failure to reach a legally binding agreement at Copenhagen, but still want to be a pragmatic partner in achieving a strong political agreement at the climate change summit. The MFA publicly announced Colombia's support for the Danish-American proposal for a political compromise in a press release on December 2. To preserve Copenhagen's momentum, the GOC plans to press for a second meeting to reach a legally-binding agreement during the first six months of 2010. Andrea Garcia, Climate Change Office Director at the Ministry of Environment, emphasized the importance to conclude a binding agreement before several Latin American elections in mid-2010, as changes in negotiators and ministers will disrupt the negotiating process. ¶6. (U) Press Focused on U.S. and China. Moderate press coverage of climate change issues has increased in frequency as the Copenhagen summit nears. Opinion pieces in El Tiempo and Cambio magazine's online site have proclaimed that Copenhagen's outcome depends squarely on emissions reduction commitments by China and the United States, which it notes are not sufficient, but better than nothing. Most news articles and opinion pieces have echoed officials' statements that Colombia is not a contributor to climate change, but a victim of it. BROWNFIELD