{"id":35873,"date":"2018-02-15T16:26:30","date_gmt":"2018-02-15T16:26:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/?p=35873"},"modified":"2018-02-16T14:38:58","modified_gmt":"2018-02-16T14:38:58","slug":"eu-us-business-lobbies-seek-closer-access-un-climate-talks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/2018\/02\/15\/eu-us-business-lobbies-seek-closer-access-un-climate-talks\/","title":{"rendered":"EU, US business lobbies seek closer access to UN climate talks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Business lobbies in Europe and the US\u00a0are pushing\u00a0for a distinct, direct and formalised \u201cbusiness channel\u201d into UN climate negotiations.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a submission to UN Climate Change’s\u00a0<\/span>Subsidiary Body for Implementation<\/span><\/a> (SBI) on 30 January, Business Europe, which represents industry confederations in 28 EU states, called for a conduit to the top table.<\/span><\/p>\n

This would be “pivotal” to the cycle of reviewing national climate pledges that was established under the Paris Agreement, the document argues.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe feel that there are many good business ideas to tackle climate change that might not always be reaching negotiators,\u201d the group’s communications director, Peter Sennekamp, told Climate Home News.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be helpful for negotiators to have a direct contact with business representatives in a more formal matter. Therefore, to assure that information reaches them in a timely and consistent manner, we believe that having a recognized focal point is crucial.\u201d<\/p>\n

Business Europe’s\u00a0submission resembles a Ukrainian proposal<\/a> for bringing energy corporates into\u00a0UN climate talks that Climate Home revealed in November.<\/p>\n

Report:<\/strong>\u00a0UN makes open call for ideas on fighting climate change<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Transparency campaigners oppose\u00a0giving business interests closer access to the talks, however, seeing them as a barrier to ambition.<\/p>\n

Jesse Bragg, a spokesman for Corporate Accountability, described the proposal as\u00a0\u201cgiving the fox a doggy door to the hen house\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cGroups like Business Europe have long fought to insinuate themselves into climate policymaking in order to undermine it and direct it toward the financial interests of its members,\u201d he said, adding that conflict of interest issues would be \u201cfront and centre\u201d at\u00a0the next interim climate conference in Bonn this May<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose responsible for the climate crisis should not be writing the rules for how we address it,\u201d\u00a0Bragg said.<\/p>\n

Business Europe submission to UN climate talks<\/a> by Megan Darby<\/a> on Scribd<\/p>\n