Eleanor Babcock
11/5/15
Sociopolitical Solutions

This week in class we focused on sociopolitical solutions for the policy bodies during the UNFCCC. The document we focused on was the Advanced Unedited Edition of the draft agreement and draft decision and how those decisions are made. In this blog post I will highlight some of the solutions the draft proposes then cover some of the challenges of making these decisions where policy makers may run into conflict.

The draft agreement lays out a purpose of the agreement by stating "parties [shall][agree to] to take urgent action and enhance [cooperation][support] so as to: hold the increase in the global average temperature [below 2 degrees celsius][below 1.5 degrees celsius][well below 2 degrees celsius][below 2 degrees celsius or 1.5 degrees celsius][below 1.5 degrees celsius or 2 degrees celsius][as far below 2 degrees celsius as possible] above pre-industrial levels by ensuring deep cuts in global greenhouse gas [net] emissions."

The purpose is important to note because it is the broad spectrum of the rest of the agreement. It lays out the importance of all the actions nations must take and what to strive for. Some of the solutions the draft agreement lays out after the purpose are:
-Collective long-term goals
-Reduction of deforestation through REDD+
-Sustainable development plans
-Taking into account gender inequalities and cultural differences
-Mobilizing domestic resources
These solutions are all important because they take into account all aspects of how climate change affects all parts of decision making. It takes into account finance, mitigation, cultures, adaptation ect.

As important as all the solutions are, there is much ambiguity as to how to effectively communicate these solutions. The draft contains many brackets which serve as placeholders for variations on expressing solutions communicatively. An example of this difference in opinion as to wording policy solutions can be seen in the quote I provided in the earlier part of this blog on the purpose of the agreement. There are eight different ways to advocate for a temperature limit on climate change. Policy bodies need to debate on how and where to set that global limit. This is a challenge to policy makers because there is a difference in opinion as to where to set the limit and how to communicate that limit.

These brackets and policy options are throughout the entire unedited draft and it is what the policy makers will use at the UNFCCC to make decisions. The fact that there are so many options for communicating solutions poses a challenge because each decision made at COP 21 must appease all nations and effectively mitigate climate change.