Asian aspirations for climate regime beyond 2012

This report is based on the second round of 'The Asia-Pacific Consultations on Climate Regime Beyond 2012' in 2006 on specific issues of high priority to the region. These include energy security and development; clean development mechanisms; technology development and transfer, and adaptation to climate change. Some of the conclusions and recommendations outlined in the report include:efforts to reflect Asian concerns and aspirations in international climate negotiations are far from adequate. This is partly due to the lack of effective involvement and negotiating capacity of Asian stakeholders in climate discussions. While a continuation of a Kyoto-style framework may be best in the short-term, efforts to create an inclusive and mandatory regime should continue the future climate regime should identify and facilitate the most pragmatic measures to mainstream climate concerns in national energy and development planning, and support implementation of integrated development and climate strategies at various levels. Discussions on a post-2012 regime should focus more on social and economic aspects of co-benefits from mitigation and adaptation policies, with a view to help achieving the millennium development goals by the least developed countries and provide assistance to enhance the economic and environmental efficiency for newly industrialised countries in Asiathe future regime discussions should pursue opportunities for (a) widening the scope of clean development mechanisms (CDM) from the current project-based activity to sector-, programme- or policy-based CDM, (b) redressing geographic inequity within and outside the region, and (c) enhancing SD benefits from CDMsince technology is a cornerstone of several non-UNFCCC initiatives such as the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Climate and Development (APP) building synergies between the UNFCCC and non-UNFCCC initiatives is crucial. The future regime should also facilitate synergies among the North-South and South-South technology cooperation and transfer initiatives, especially in adaptationthe future climate regime should facilitate identification of pragmatic options for mainstreaming adaptation concerns in development planning in Asia both at policy and operational levels. It should also support efforts to document such experiences as a way to strengthen the capacity of policy makers in visualising the benefits of mainstreamingthe future regime should proactively support initiatives by the private sector by giving them suitable opportunities in the Conference of the Parties (COP) negotiations. Likewise, insurance, credit, investment practices and asset management services of financial firms will gradually become important in addressing both mitigation and adaptation in Asia.