Next week in Poland, a discreet delegation of American diplomats will settle in for two weeks of international climate negotiations along with their European, Chinese and other counterparts.
The fact that Donald Trump announced in June 2017 that the US would withdraw from the Paris climate accord signed in 2015 by his predecessor, Barack Obama, has not ended US participation in continuing climate talks.
The US pullout won’t take effect until 2020. In the meantime, the Americans are not leaving their seats empty and remain heavily involved at the technical, rather than political, level.
“Among developed countries, the US is hardly isolated on those issues,” said Alden Meyer, director of strategy and policy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, noting the US has maintained a united front with Europe and other rich nations when it comes to technical subjects that are indispensable to the effective rollout of the Paris deal.
The Conference of Parties number 24 (COP24), is the follow-on to COP 21 in Paris. This time, 197 signatories are meeting to agree on the rules of applying their commitments under the 2015 pact.
“Paris has to be brought to life in an operational sense,” said Todd Stern, who was president Obama’s chief climate negotiator. For instance, countries must agree on a common method of monitoring emissions.
Why are other countries cooperating with the United States?
Because they are laying the groundwork for a possible future US tie-in to the Paris accord.
Everyone knows Washington’s pullout formally takes place November 4, 2020, the day after the next US presidential election. It’s still even possible that Trump could decide to stay in the accord.
According to Ovais Sarmad, deputy executive secretary at the UNFCCC, which oversees the talks, 183 other countries ratified the Paris accord.
“We hope the position (of the US) will change over time,” said Sarmad. The US delegation will not be led by a high-ranking official, but rather a career diplomat, Judith Garber.
Garber is principal deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.
“The Americans are continuing to negotiate in a constructive manner,” said a source close to the talks.
“We have to put up with the fact that they are coming in support of coal but in the meantime, we can work quietly.” — AFP
Ivan Couronne
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