The Ad-Hoc Working Group on Long-Term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA) has released draft negotiating text which aims to provide a starting point for the negotiations at the sixth session of the group in June in Bonn. The text reflects ideas and proposals by Parties, based on the most recent submissions from Parties received up to 5 May 2009.
The draft text includes a number of proposals related to reducing emissions and increasing carbon stocks in agriculture:
- Developing country Parties contribute to enhanced mitigations actions in the {forestry sector}{land use, land-use change and forestry sector} by reducing emissions, ensuring permanence of existing carbon stocks and enhancing removals, while promoting sustainable forest management (106)
- REDD-plus actions {should} be country-driven and voluntary {NAMAs}, and undertaken in
accordance with countries’ capabilities and national circumstances (107) - a Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) may include REDD-plus activities and other mitigation actions implemented in different areas and sectors, including agriculture (73)
- Cooperative sectoral approaches and sector-specific actions: Parties shall cooperate in R&D of mitigation technologies for the agriculture sector, recognizing the necessity for international cooperative action to enhance and provide incentives for mitigation of GHG emissions from agriculture, in particular in developing countries. Consideration should be given to the role of soils in carbon sequestration, including through the use of biochar and enhancing carbon sinks in drylands (134)
Sustainable agriculture is also mentioned in the context of resilience-building activities, with suggestions that an adaptation fund should pay full or incremental cost of implementing these activities (30).
A number of the the original party submissions to the AWG-LCA, notably those by Belarus and Norway, expressed the need to take into account additional activities in peatland restoration and conservation and over time should be included in a future REDD regime. They proposed to include, on voluntary bases, assessment of emission and absorption of GHG at the degraded peatlands and natural wetland ecosystems in National inventories particularly in countries in which large territories of such lands exist.
Other parties noted that consideration should be given to the role of soils in carbon sequestration. Micronesia stated that promotion to the development and implementation of technologies and policies to use biosequestration, including sustainable biochar will enhance carbon sink in drylands. Parties recognized the necessity for international cooperative action to enhance and provide incentives for mitigation of GHG emissions from agriculture, in particular in developing countries.
* [REDD-plus refers to policy approaches and positive incentives for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries and takes into account the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forestcarbon stocks in developing countries]
Sources:
Draft text FCCC/AWGLCA/2009/8 19 May 2009
Party Submissions http://unfccc.int/meetings/ad_hoc_working_groups/lca/items/4578.php
Written by: ASB Blog Editor
