5 December 2015: On 4 December, the SBI and SBSTA concluded their work, but three items remained unresolved: the 2013-2015 review; capacity building under the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol; and impact of the implementation of response measures. On 5 December 2015, the ADP closed its work, adopted its conclusions, and forwarded the draft agreement and draft decision to the COP.

During the COP Plenary, on 5 December, parties agreed to the mode of work outlined by COP 21 President Laurent Fabius, including the “Paris Committee,” an open-ended single-setting group, presided over by the COP 21 President, to progress the text and facilitate compromise. He said the committee would work under the principle, inter alia, of “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed,” and its meetings would be transmitted to screens at the conference site to facilitate transparency.

Fabius outlined four informal working groups facilitated by ministers to work on cross-cutting issues: support, facilitated by Gabon and Germany; differentiation in the context of mitigation, transparency and finance, including pre-2020 finance, facilitated by Brazil and Singapore; ambition, long-term objectives and periodic review, with facilitators to be announced; and acceleration of pre-2020 ambition, with facilitators to be announced. He further stated that the outcome should be concluded in time for a review group on legal and language matters to address related issues before Friday, 11 December. The four working groups commenced and ministers met to discuss modalities of work on Sunday, 6 December.

COP 21 President Fabius said the 2013-2015 review would be considered by the long-term goal informal working group. On capacity building under the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol and impact of the implementation of response measures, Fabius said he will hold consultations and propose a way forward. [IISD RS Coverage of COP 21 – 4 December] [IISD RS Coverage of COP 21 – 5 December] [IISD RS Story on ADP Issuing Draft Paris Outcome]

Oceans Day, the fourth day of the Rio Convention Pavilion (RCP), convened on 4 December and was hosted by the Global Ocean Forum. The day aimed to advance the climate and ocean agenda through a high-level segment and six panel sessions on: challenges and opportunities in the context of climate and oceans; addressing the effects of climate change on oceans and on coastal and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) populations; mitigation and the oceans; adaptation and financing for adaptation; capacity development, scientific monitoring, and public education; and bringing it all together: a five-year agenda for action.

The fifth day of the RCP took place on 5 December 2015 and was hosted by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The day covered: the GEF Integrated Approach Pilot (IAP) programmes to promote new, innovative ways to tackle drivers of global environmental degradation; the facilitation of synergies across the conventions to further sustainable development; and, civil society engagement with the GEF. [IISD RS Coverage of Rio Conventions Pavilion – 4 December] [IISD RS Coverage of Rio Conventions Pavilion – 5 December] [IISD RS Story on Oceans Day]

The event ‘High-level Dialogue on Climate-Smart Agriculture: Global and Regional Perspectives,’ organized by the Africa Pavilion on 4 December, addressed: the role of climate-smart agriculture and technology; the role of youth; strengthening local farmer associations; and building capacity of smallholder farmers to co-create solutions with scientists. The event ‘Scaling Up Innovative Approaches to Climate-Smart Agriculture in Africa’ underlined that while agriculture is not featured prominently within the COP 21 negotiations, more than 60% of countries include agriculture in their INDCs, which is promising. During the event ‘Low Carbon Development, Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Security,’ participants stressed the need for bottom-up planning by stakeholders, as well as discussing debt and international property rights. The event ‘Piloting Innovative Solutions for Climate Information Services in Africa: Lessons, Best Practices and Scaling Up of Results from ClimDev-Africa Phase I’ presented the details of three programmes in Ethiopia, Rwanda and The Gambia designed to strengthen meteorological capacity, observing networks, early warning systems and data and information management. [IISD RS Coverage of Africa Pavilion – 4 December]

At an event on ‘Climate-Smart Food Systems for Enhanced Nutrition,’ organized by the Africa Pavilion on 5 December, participants highlighted the need for investments in nutrition to be “climate proof” and for improved food infrastructure and storage systems to avoid food loss and waste. During the event ‘Will Paris Pave the Way for Africa’s Prosperity and Transformation?’ participants underscored the role of South-South Cooperation and the need to mobilize human capacity in Africa. At an event on ‘How Do We Mobilize Climate Finance for Green Growth in Africa?’ panelists stressed the utilization of the African diaspora to support specific, bankable projects. The event ‘Climate Research for Development in Africa’ addressed improving interconnectedness between climate science, services and policy to improve co-generation, quality, access and the dissemination of climate information services. [IISD RS Coverage of Africa Pavilion – 5 December]

Many other events took place around the COP 21 venue the 4-5 December. During the event ‘How the UNFCCC Architecture Can Help Mobilize International Resources to Support Carbon Capture and Storage,’ panelists discussed measures to unlock carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) mitigation potential such as regulatory instruments, economies of scale, and improved engagement with stakeholders. At an event on ‘Climate Change Adaptation Measures With Mitigation Co-Benefits in the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf Region’ participants addressed: the share of CO2 mangroves fix; the need protect mangroves in INDCs; and the need for further research into algae as a mitigation measure. The event ‘Catalyzing Commitments into Action: Innovation and Scalable Solutions in Cross-Sector Collaboration’ focused on: how to nurture talent and leadership for climate innovation; the need for action on scalable ocean solutions; the need to address shortsightedness; and convincing the private sector that climate action can be profitable.

During the event ‘People in the Arctic and Climate Change,’ panelists underscored the need to improve human capital in the Arctic. They further discussed: migration in the Arctic; including the need for improved data on cross-border statistics; and black-carbon emissions. At an event on ‘Technology as an Answer to Climate Change Challenges,’ discussion focused on: the role of national regulations for engine standards; levels of accuracy of modeling predictions; collaboration between research institutions carrying out real-time data analysis and feedback into policymaking; and carbon capture and utilization funding. ‘The Phase Out of Fossil Fuel Subsidies and the Paris Climate Deal’ event highlighted how phasing out fossil fuel subsidies can contribute to achieving the objectives of the Paris agreement, urgently reducing pre-2020 emissions, and moving finance away from fossil fuels towards clean solutions. The event ‘Cleaning the Air, Saving Lives and Slowing Near-Term Climate Change’ addressed the mitigation potential of black carbon, modeling versus observation techniques, the impacts of particulate matter and black carbon on health, and ways to engage the medical community. [IISD RS Coverage of Side Events – 4 December]

On 5 December, at an event on ‘Community Choice Energy: Power to the People!’ participants discussed the challenges of addressing “higher hanging fruit” once energy transition is further under way, rural community cooperative models, and how to achieve meaningful civic engagement. During the event ‘European Union and Gulf Cooperation Council Collaboration on Economic Diversification’ participants addressed 3-D printing applications, the importance of human resources, and cost effectiveness, including returns on investments in solar agriculture. At an event on the ‘Arctic and Nordic Climate Science, Technology and Diplomacy in a Global Context,’ participants discussed addressing mitigation and adaptation activities simultaneously, the different Arctic narratives in climate negotiations, and ways to connect petroleum and climate policies. The event ‘Role of Oil & Gas Technology to address Climate Change Challenges’ focused on efficiency in CO2 transport, cost effectiveness of the use of natural gas for transport, support for smaller oil and gas companies to reduce their emissions, and fast maturation of CCUS technologies.

During the event ‘InsuResilience: The Climate Risk Insurance Initiative,’ panelists emphasized the need to unlock the potential of the insurance business to deal with climate change and to broaden and deepen insurance markets. At an event on ‘Examination of How Nations Have and Should Consider Equity and Justice in Setting INDCs,’ participants considered opportunities for faith-based organizations to influence climate narratives, UNFCCC language and opportunities for ethical language in the agreement, and the place of the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) in the discussion of ethics. The event ‘Ecovillages: 1001 Ways to Cool the Planet’ considered the global movement of ecovillages that is helping redesign human habitats towards zero-carbon lifestyles. During the event ‘Climate Change Planning in Conflict Settings: the State of Palestine,’ participants discussed whether framing climate change as a security issue is an opportunity for Palestine and the need for the establishment of an environmental database in the region. [IISD RS Coverage of Side Events – 5 December]