Latvian Climate Policy in the Context of International Negotiations

A Primer for COP17

Amit Ashkenazi, Mark Redmond, & Grant Tolley

With the expertise, advice, and support of the Latvian Environmental NGO Community

The following report discusses Latvia’s climate change policy as it relates to the next UNFCCC Conference of Parties to be held in Durban, South Africa from November 28 to December 10, 2011.  It begins with an overview of the current state of international climate negotiations, discusses the official EU position and prospects for the AWG-LCA and AWG-KP tracks at Durban, highlights key points for Latvia under the AWG-KP track, and concludes with a discussion of domestic sector-specific mitigation and financing issues not breached by the EU official position but relevant to Latvian climate policy in the context of international negotiations.

The purpose of this report is to determine Latvia's unique needs and potential contribution to pushing a more progressive climate policy in the international arena.  It is the result of collaboration between the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and the Latvian Environmental NGOs, and it aims to increase the capacity of environmental NGOs and activists in Latvia to facilitate debate about national climate policy considering international climate negotiations. The abstract of the paper will be translated into Latvian and used to raise awareness about international climate negotiations during COP17 in Durban; we hope it may also find use elsewhere in Europe, especially among other states of the former Soviet bloc.  The final page of the report provides several observations and recommendations for future positions and actions that Latvia and the European environmental movement can take following Durban.