聯合國氣候變化綱要公約第23次締約方大會紀實與檢討

Critical Reflections on the 23rd Session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change

繼去年巴黎協議出乎意料地生效後，聯合國氣候變化綱要公約第23次締約國大會（Conferences Of Parties, COP）（下稱「COP23」）即須開始面對巴黎協議執行的具體規劃，但美國的宣布退出，仍增添了相關變數。臺灣大學法律學院環境永續政策與法律中心在COP23之後，邀請學者專家就此次大會的舉辦過程及相關決議進行檢討，並請台灣青年氣候聯盟分享其於大會親身參與的經驗。與會學者認為，這次大會透過具體形塑巴黎協議下各國自定預期貢獻的內容及要求，建立透明的機制以實質達到減量目標，並督促各國落實自主貢獻。此外，大會決議建立對話機制（Talanoa dialogue），使參與者在正式會議前進行真誠對話，以利共識形成。人權議題也逐漸聚焦在女性以及原住民的參與。財務管理方面則延續過去的討論，逐步平衡減緩與調適之間的比例，加重私部門在資金的投入。從全球氣候治理來觀察，能源轉型的加速、碳價的逐步成形，以及國家為主體的框架逐漸鬆綁，國家以外的行動者如城市或企業成為氣候治理的重要夥伴。儘管有以上的發展趨勢，但由於COP23主要在處理巴黎協議的具體落實與監督，整體而言是較為技術性、規則性以及過渡性的會議。

As the Paris Agreement unexpectedly came into effect, the 23rd Session of the Conference of Parties (COP23) to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has embarked on its implementation. Nevertheless, the withdrawl of the United States from the Paris Agreement still cast doubts over the process. To discuss the progress of COP23 and impacts it may have on global climate change governance, the Policy and Law Center for Environmental Sustainability (PLES Center) of National Taiwan University College of Law held a seminar with invited speakers including scholars, experts and the members of Taiwan Youth Climate Alliance. 
According to the reflections and discussions made in the seminar, the main progress of COP23 includes the following. First, the contents and requirements of the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) in the Paris Agreement were discussed and a transparent mechanism established. Second, the Talanoa dialogue mechanism was created to enable participants to have open and genuine conversations before any formal meetings or resolutions reached. Next was the focus on human rights issues, especially on the participation of women and indigenous peoples. As for the finance, the discussions were on how to balance the expenses between mitigation and adaption and to increase capitals from private sectors. In the perspective of global climate change governance, attention has been on the acceleration of energy transition, carbon pricing, and with the dismantling of nation states, the increasingly important roles played by private sectors such as cities, business, and nongovernmental organizations. All in all, the COP23 was rather technical and transitional in nature due to its main missions in implementing Paris Agreement.
While global climate actions seem stagnant at present, they are in the process of preparing the implementation of Paris Agreement. Taiwan has not fared well in climate change governance, but there has been progress such as greenhouse gases regulation and the initiatives of urban planning and land-use hearings. It is our hope that further progress in both global and local climate change governance will be seen in the next COP24 as well as in Taiwan’s climate actions.