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Government leaders from around the world met in Bali, Indonesia, during the first two weeks of December, 2007 to lay the groundwork for the next international agreement to address climate change. Over 10,000 people attended this United Nations-sponsored event, representing government, indigenous groups, non-governmental organization, corporations and all sectors of society.
Conservancy staff submitted blog dispatches from Bali throughout the conference. You can view them below.
Blog from Bali
Dec. 17: Nature Conservancy Applauds Adoption of Bali Roadmap
Author: Stephanie Meeks, Acting President and CEO of The Nature Conservancy
Photo © Mark Godfrey
Stephanie Meeks, acting president and CEO of The Nature Conservancy, has issued astatement upon today’s adoption of the Bali Roadmap, a framework for future UN climate negotiations:
“We applaud the admirable efforts shown today by world governments on the difficult path toward achieving a hard-won consensus on the Bali Roadmap. Over the course of a dramatic afternoon, negotiators took significant steps forward, although the roadmap still falls far short of expectations.
“The Bali Roadmap does not go far enough to address the scientific community’s warnings and avert the most dangerous consequences of climate change for people and for the planet. But it does open the door to a tougher agreement in two years. There is enough flexibility here for future negotiations to craft a meaningful, comprehensive agreement by 2009, when negotiations for a future framework conclude — and when the United States and others may be ready to commit to a solution that is commensurate to the scale of the threat posed by climate change.
Click here to read the entire statement from Stephanie Meeks.
Dec. 14: What We've Accomplished So Far
Author: Stephanie Meeks, Acting President and CEO of The Nature Conservancy
Photo © Mark Godfrey
The Conservancy’s influence is growing visibly at the Bali meetings. We have an incredible team on the ground here representing the Conservancy at its very best – talented individuals from Brazil, Costa Rica, China, Indonesia, Australia and our worldwide headquarters pulling together behind a common, and critical, objective.
I joined our team on the ground for two action-packed days. It’s hard to say which was our most interesting meeting of the 16, but three stand out:
- President Yudhoyono of Indonesia,
- Australian Environment Minister Peter Garrett (a.k.a. the former lead singer of Midnight Oil), and
- President Remengesau of Palau.
A Slate of Accomplishments
Following an event announcing the Conservancy’s $1 million commitment to a new orangutan conservation plan, followed by a briefing on the Coral Triangle Initiative, President Yudhoyono visibly lit up in expressing his appreciation of the Conservancy and told me directly how important he considers our future participation in the conservation of Indonesia’s natural resources. The Indonesia team has clearly been successful in both its on-the-ground conservation work and positioning the Conservancy as a trusted advisor to the prominent officials within the government.
Meanwhile, after only 12 days in office, Minister Garrett announced a $500,000 commitment to the Conservancy to fund orangutan work in East Kalimantan. He personally asked for a briefing on the Coral Triangle Initiative and met with us a second time to learn about the Conservancy’s program in Australia. Mr. Garrett arrived in Bali only days after the newly elected Labor government ratified the Kyoto protocol.
Palau President Remengesau hosted a special press briefing on the Micronesia Challenge which also profiled the Conservancy’s $3 million commitment to the initiative and a new pledge by the GEF announced by Monique Barbut. At lunch following the event, the President talked at length about his personal commitment to the conservation objectives outlined in the Challenge and his goals for his final year in office.
My very full visit concluded with our participation in the formal launch of the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility, to which the Conservancy pledged $5 million. As the only NGO contributor to the facility at this point, the Conservancy’s participation has received a great deal of positive attention. I have to say, I was incredibly proud of our organization as I stood with finance, environment and development ministers of nine nations to announce our pledge.
The meetings are coming to a close, but the intensity is now rising as these are the final hours of negotiations. By late tonight or tomorrow morning, our team should have in hand the important document that will spell out the path toward a post-2012 international climate change agreement.
— Stephanie
Read an essay from Stephanie Meeks on addressing climate change beyond the Bali Conference.
Dec. 13: Curbing Deforestation in the Amazon
Author: Joao Campari, Nature Conservancy Conservation Program Director for Brazil
Photo © Mark Godfrey
We had an extraordinary event last night to promote our plan to permanently reduce emissions in the Amazon.
Called “Greener Soy,” the program will ensure the soy industry complies with environmental regulations in the Brazilian state of Mato Grasso. In Bali, Brazil is leading by example to include reduced emissions from deforestation into the convention mechanisms.
Amazon deforestation has been decreasing due to the actions of the Brazillian federal government and states such as Mato Grosso. During the event, we celebrated the role the Conservancy has had in catalyzing this trend.
The Conservancy also pledged $1 million for a challenge fund that has already leveraged another $1 million from the private sector in order to save 2 million hectares of Cerrado grasslands and Amazon forests from deforestation and degradation. Last night's even demonstrated to world leaders gathered in Bali that the government of Mato Grosso is using innovative approaches that reconcile agricultural development, biodiversity conservation and efforts to reduce emissions through public and private sector investments.
— Joao
Dec. 11: A Step Forward For Forests and the Climate
Author: Duncan Marsh, Director of The Nature Conservancy’s initiative on reducing emissions from deforestation
Photo © The Nature Conservancy
Today in Bali, the Conservancy joined nine donor governments and the World Bank to launch the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility – an innovative new initiative launched by the World Bank. This is a culmination of nearly two years of work for the Conservancy team, so this is a really exciting day for all of us on the ground here in Bali and in our offices around the world. And it builds on more than a decade of our work with forest carbon projects on the ground.
At the press conference today, it was a proud moment to see Stephanie Meeks, our acting President and CEO, announce our pledge, alongside World Bank President Robert Zoellick and environment and finance ministers from Germany, Japan, Australia, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark and Finland. With our pledge of $5 million, the Conservancy is the only non-governmental organization to invest in this partnership. The invitation-only event attracted many of the most prominent negotiators in Bali, who took precious time from the intense negotiations to observe the launch.
Once the Bali climate talks end, the forest carbon team at the Conservancy will dive into planning and building up our forest carbon work on the ground in Brazil and Indonesia, with other countries to follow. For now, most of the team is enjoying a few moments of satisfied respite before turning back to the negotiations. The Ministers arrive tomorrow to begin the high-level sessions that will drive talks toward the final agreement. In 72 hours or so, we should know what the path toward a post-2012 international climate agreement will look like.
— Duncan
Dec. 10: Saving Orangutans, Saving Forests
Author: Erik Meijaard, Nature Conservancy Senior Forest Ecologist
Photo © Mel White
They are “the people of the forest” and the face of Indonesian conservation: The orangutans of Borneo and Sumatra are uniquely beautiful and undeniably compelling. But they are also incredibly endangered. Over the last three decades, forest loss in Indonesia has directly or indirectly killed some 3,000 orangutans every year.
So I am thrilled with the latest announcement from Bali: Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono launched an action plan to protect orangutans, to which the Conservancy has pledged $1 million. In the near term, the plan will protect 1 million hectares of orangutan habitat scheduled for conversion to oil palm. This could save as many as 9,800 orangutans, as well as keep 700 million tons of carbon locked up in trees.
After working on this issue for more than 15 years, I believe that this plan can make a real difference in stopping the loss of orangutan habitat and carbon-rich forests. Saving orangutan habitats and other forest lands has the potential to make a major contribution towards reducing global warming, as well as contribute to the Indonesian economy.
— Erik
Read more about the Conservancy’s participation in Indonesian action plan to protect orangutan.
Dec. 7: Strong Movement Toward Protecting Coral Triangle
Author: Rili Djohani, Nature Conservancy Country Director for the Indonesian Program
Photo © Mark Godfrey/TNC
We are nearing the end of a very busy, but productive first week of negotiations, events and meetings. With thousands of people roaming the compound, including dignitaries, organizations, media and other interested parties, our Conservancy team is working at all hours to connect with the right people to make the most of our attendance in Bali.
My day began with the opening of the Senior Officials’ Meeting by the Indonesian Minister for Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Freddy Numberi. This meeting was about the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI), an effort aimed at safeguarding coral reefs, fisheries and food security for approximately 120 million people whose livelihoods depend on the seas. Governments of the ‘CT Six’ countries (Indonesia, Timor-Leste, the Philippines, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands), with the full support from non-government organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, WWF and Conservation International, came out with a strong political will and message to conserve the marine biodiversity of the Coral Triangle region. We are very pleased that the CTI is being received with such a strong commitment across the region.
—Rili
Dec. 4: Setting a Path for Bali and Beyond
Author: Andrew Deutz, Nature Conservancy Senior Policy Advisor for UN Affairs
Photo © Erica Rychwalski/TNC
So here we are in Bali. There are some 10,000 people descending on this tropical island paradise in the next two weeks, including the largest delegation The Nature Conservancy has ever fielded for international climate talks. There are many of the usual elements — windowless conference rooms, long-winded speeches, and the eternal search for a good coffee bar to both overhear the latest rumors and overcome the latest jetlag.
But there are a few differences in Bali. The dress code is "batik/dress casual". Both the shirts and the weather are warm. And so is the mood. There was nearly a standing ovation in the plenary this morning when Australia announced it will ratify the Kyoto Protocol. On day one, there is a sense of optimism and collective purpose in Bali.
— Andrew
Read a perspective from Andrew on the historic opportunities presented by the Bali conference.
Representatives from The Nature Conservancy are attending this meeting to urge negotiators to:
- Establish a clear path for reaching a renewed international agreement on climate change.
- Include reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation as part of a new agreement.
- Support nature-based adaptation strategies to help reduce the impacts of climate change on people and nature.
Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Mark Godfrey/The Nature Conservancy (the forest of East Kalimantan, Indonesia); Photo © Ahmad Fuadi/The Nature Conservancy (Stephanie Meeks and Indonesian President Photo © Haroldo Palo, Jr. (Amazon rainforest, Brazil); Photo © Ahmad Fuadi/The Nature Conservancy (Stephanie Meeks); Photo Eileen Herrling (orangutans); © Christopher Crowley (coral); Photo © Leila Mead/IISD/ ENB (UN Climate Conference main hall.
