Jamaica’s Second Communication to the UNFCCC

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Jamaicas Second Communication to the UNFCCC
Mr. Jeffrey Spooner
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Faculty of Social Sciences, UWI, Mona and
CARICOM Caribbean Climate Change CentreClimate
Change Impacts on the Caribbean, with special
attention to Tourism and InsuranceJune15-17,
2007, Mona Campus

• PRESENTATION ON JAMAICAS
• SECOND NATIONAL COMMUNICATION

Jeffery Spooner Clifford Mahlung
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OUTLINE

• INTRODUCTION
• NATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS
• What are National Communications?
• Convention Requirements
• Funding Options
• INC
• GHG Inventory
• Mitigation Options
• VA Assessment
• Limitations
• SNC
• Guidelines
• Financial Technical Assistance
• Elements of SNC
• Institutional arrangements

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THE UNFCCC

• The United Nations Framework Convention on
  Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted in 1992 and
  entered into force in March 1994.
• Ultimate The objective of the Convention
• To stabilize atmospheric greenhouse gases at
  levels that would prevent dangerous human
  interference with the climate system. Such
  levels, should be achieved within a timeframe
  sufficient to allow the ecosystems to adapt
  naturally to climate change, to ensure that food
  security production is not threatened and to
  enable development to proceed in a sustainable
  manner.
• Jamaica became a party to the Convention in
  April 1995.

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THE KYOTO PROTOCOL

• The Kyoto Protocol (KP) was adopted at COP-3 in
  Kyoto, Japan in December 1997 and entered into
  force in February 2005 .
• The Major objective of the KP
• Is that industrialized countries (termed Annex B
  countries) will reduce their combined greenhouse
  gas emissions by at least 5 compared to the 1990
  levels by the (first) commitment period
  2008-2012.
• The targets ranged from 8 below 1990 levels
  for some, to 10 above 1990 levels for others.
• There are no targets for developing countries.
• Jamaica became a party to the Kyoto Protocol
  in June 1999.

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What Are NC?

• National Communications is one of the mandated
  periodic reports to the UNFCCC by all parties to
  the Convention on all aspects of their
  implementation of the Convention.
• All parties are mandated to report on steps taken
  or envisaged to be undertaken to implement
  Articles 4.1 and 12 of the Convention.
• What is included in these NCs and the frequency
  of submission is different for Annex I and
  non-Annex I Parties.
• Jamaicas initial NC was submitted in November
  2000 and we started work on the 2nd NC.

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CONVENTION REQUIREMENTS

• ARTICLE 12 COMMUNICATION OF INFORMATION RELATED
  TO IMPLEMENTATION
• 1. In accordance with Article 4, paragraph 1,
  each Party shall communicate to the Conference of
  the Parties, through the secretariat, the
  following information
• A national inventory of anthropogenic emissions
  by sources and removals by sinks of all
  greenhouse gases not controlled by the Montreal
  Protocol, to the extent its capacities permit,
  using comparable methodologies to be promoted and
  agreed upon by the Conference of the Parties
• A general description of steps taken or envisaged
  by the Party to implement the Convention and
• Any other information that the Party considers
  relevant to the achievement of the objective of
  the Convention and suitable for inclusion in its
  communication, including, if feasible, material
  relevant for calculations of global emission
  trends.

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Initial National Communication

• 1994 GHG Inventory

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(No Transcript)
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Initial National Communication VA Assessment
(Scenarios)
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INC VA Assessment (Rainfall Scenarios)
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INC VA Assessment (Water use)
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INC VA Assessment (Agriculture)
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Initial National Communication VA Assessment

• CONCLUSIONS (VULNERABILITIES)
• While this initial national communications report
  has an initial
• investigation of potential vulnerabilities it is
  clear that there is a need for
• further work in the area of vulnerability with
  regards to climate change.
• There is a considerable amount of infrastructure
  located on the coast,
• with the international airports, seaports and a
  number of industries
• being located in areas that would be extremely
  sensitive to climate
• change.
• It will be necessary to investigate a number of
  the socio-economic
• vulnerabilities, particularly in area such as
  tourism. Additional funding
• will be required for thorough in-depth analysis
  in most areas, in
• particular coastal zones, water resources,
  agriculture and the health
• sector.

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Initial National Communication VA Assessment

• ADAPTATION
• For Jamaica to respond to many of the
  vulnerability concerns which have been identified
  in the previous section it is clear that
  constructive adaptation policies will have to be
  implemented so that many of the potential impacts
  of a changing climate could be avoided in
  Jamaica, or mitigated.

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Initial National Communication VA Assessment
(Adaptation)

• Coastal Zones
• With regards to the coastal zones it is clear
  that there is the need for comprehensive
  management of the islands ecosystem, which would
  involve strategic planning to avoid the worst
  impacts, an assessment of the needs for
  modification of land-use and implementation of
  identified land-use strategies and guidelines.
• Water Resources
• Adaptation options for the Water Resources sector
  will revolve around an improved distribution
  network incorporating water conservation
  techniques.
• Agriculture
• Changes in the climate will obviously affect
  agricultural production and output. The recent
  chapter the IPCC regional impacts report notes
  that with an extension in a dry season in Pacific
  islands yields from sugar cane will decrease.
  Thus the need to examine alternatives is quite
  clear.

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Initial National Communication VA Assessment

• CONCLUSIONS (ADAPTATION)
• While the above tables have suggested possible
  and potential adaptation options it is clear that
  there is a need for further comprehensive
  integrated studies in the area of adaptation,
  which will examine the socio-economic issues
  which are relevant for the implementation of
  suggested adaptation options. What is clear is
  that the cost for implementing many adaptation
  options will be prohibitive and will call on
  financial resources that may not be available to
  the Government of Jamaica.

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Second National Communication

• UNFCCC Guidelines for the Preparation of National
  Communications from non-Annex I Parties
• The guidelines for the preparation of initial
  national
• communications were adopted by the COP at its
  second session,
• by decision 10/CP.2. These guidelines were used
  by 106 non-
• Annex I Parties to prepare their initial national
  communications.
• At its fifth session, the COP initiated a process
  to revise those
• guidelines. The UNFCCC guidelines, as adopted by
  the COP, at
• its eighth session, by decision 17/CP.8, is the
  outcome of that
• process.

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Second National Communication

• Financial Technical Assistance
• Provided to the tune of US 405,000.00 by the GEF
  and administered through the UNDP
• GOJ counterpart financing to the tune of US
  70,000.00 (in-kind
• Work started in September 2006 and is expected be
  completed in August 2008.

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Total sums allocated for each component of the
communication
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Second National Communication GHG INVENTORY

• Compiled for the years 2000-2005
• Lead Consultant - Dr. Claude Davis
• Anthropogenic Emissions of Carbon Dioxide,
  Nitrous Oxide, Methane by source and removal by
  sinks and are encouraged to report HFCs, PFCs,
  and SF6.
• Using the 2006 Revised IPCC Guideline

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Second National Communication Elements of VA
assessments

• What impacts/vulnerability have been observed/
  experienced and what are the underlying drivers?
  (current vulnerability assessment)
• What are the impacts and vulnerability under
  projected climate and projected socio-economic
  conditions? (future vulnerability assessment)
• What are the adaptive responses that will be
  required to reduce the vulnerability? (adaptation
  assessment)
• What are the implications for sustainable
  development? (policy recommendations)

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Second National Communication VA ASSESSMENTS

• Sectors/zones
• Coastal Zone, Human Settlement, Human Health,
  Water Resources, Agriculture, Tourism
• Four contracts awarded (Coastal Zone Human
  Settlement Water Resources Agriculture
  Scenarios Human Health Socio-economic
  assessments)
• Methods and approaches available include
• IPCC Seven- Step Approach and derived
  methodologies
• UNDP Adaptation Policy Framework
• NAPA Guidelines
• UNEP VA ASSESSMENT HANDBOOK
• Possible monitoring of the assessment

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Second National Communication VA ASSESSMENTS

• For each of the sector/zone studied the Key
  Findings will be presented on the
• Effects (direct and indirect) of climate
  variability and change (impacts)
• Vulnerable areas/communities
• Adaptation strategies
• Integration of socio-economic and environmental
  scenarios
• Interrelations between the effects on the
  different sectors/zones

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Second National Communication VA ASSESSMENTS

• For each sector/zone studied adaptation
  strategies and measures will reflect
• Specific adaptation options to the effects of
  climate change (current and future)
• Assessment/prioritization of these options
• General policies having implications for
  adaptation
• Needs for capacity strengthening
• Needs for awaraness raising, education and public
  information

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Second National CommunicationInstitutional
Arrangements
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Second National CommunicationInstitutional
Arrangements

• National Communication Support Program
• NCSP is a GEF funded programme jointly
  implemented by UNDP and UNEP
• To facilitate the preparation of Second National
  Communications
• To prepare and disseminate technical and
  policy-relevant materials, including training
• To help sustain the national capacity building
  efforts

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Second National CommunicationInstitutional
Arrangements

• UNDP in collaboration with the Meteorological
  Service provides
• Procurement Services
• Logistical Assistance
• Financial Disbursements
• Technical Advice
• Office Space with telephone, faxsimile, Internet
  connection

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SNC -USEFULNESS

• VA assessments will be used to identify
  potential projects for funding
• Institutionalization of nation response to
  climate change
• Produce policy-relevant knowledge and information
  to effect policy dialogue
• Facilitate public education and awareness for
  mainstreaming CC concerns at different levels of
  the society

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Mitigation is a WinWinWin Option for Jamaica

• Mitigation The reduction of green-house gas
  emission.
• The reduction proposed by the Kyoto Protocol is
  considered by many as very limited reduction and
  that there is need for further cuts.
• Business as usual with the high dependence on
  fossil fuel is an expensive option. We therefore
  now more ever need to manage our energy resource
  more efficiently as well as look for other
  sources of energy

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Mitigation

• More efficient power production - less waste
• Switch to low level green-house gas emission (
  eg. from coal to oil and from oil to natural gas
• Switch to non-fossil fuel, i.e., from oil to
  renewables
• Alternative energy sources such as wind, solar,
  hydro, geothermal, and bio-energy such as
  biofuels, and other new and renewable energy
  sources and technologies where possible (more
  Research Development needed)
• Others as well such as fuel cells (more Research
  and Development needed)

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The END
Thanks for listening
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