On 5 December 2011, GLOBE International launched the 2nd GLOBE Climate Legislation Study in Durban.  The study shows that 10 of the 17 study countries have made significant advances in 2011, including Australia, Brazil, China, EU, Germany, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea and the UK.  This progress is despite the challenging economic backdrop and demonstrates that countries are no longer seeing tackling climate change as sharing a global burden, with governments naturally trying to minimise their share, but they are seeing climate change legislation as firmly in the national interest.

UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres stated: “Despite the slow pace of the UNFCCC negotiations and a challenging economic backdrop, domestic legislation on climate change is now marching forward at a ‘game changing’ rate.  The shape of the debate is transforming from that of sharing a global burden – with governments naturally trying to minimise their share – to one of a realisation that acting on climate change is in the national interest".

The study was subsequently presented to an audience of legislators from South Africa, Mexico, Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden and China at the EU Pavilion on 7th December.

Please find the study here.

The GLOBE Cape Town Legislators Forum on 3-4 December was opened by the Speaker of the South African National Assembly, Hon Speaker Max Sisulu.  The Speaker delivered a passionate address about the role of legislators in holding governments to account for the commitments they make internationally and for the need to focus on national legislation to address climate change.

Following Speaker Sisulu, GLOBE President, the Rt Hon. John Gummer, Lord Deben, challenged the United Nations climate change negotiations to recognise the positive movement that is taking place in national parliaments where we are seeing an unprecedented movement advancing and implementing climate change legislation. United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, delivered an address to the Forum ahead of his arrival in South Africa which was delivered by UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in South Africa, Dr. Agostinho Zacarias.

In the Final Statement, the 100 cross-party legislators from 15 countries gathered at the Forum challenged the UNFCCC to find a way to formally recognise national legislative efforts on 3-4 December 2011:

"(...) It is clear from the GLOBE Study that a new coalition of countries is emerging, including the EU and the major developing countries.  These countries are developing a legislative foundation that has the potential to drive the transformation of the global economy.  Progress should not be constrained by those countries unwilling or unable to act. (...) This momentum is a positive challenge to the UNFCCC and a way should be found formally to recognise national legislative efforts, to raise awareness of positive movements at the national level, to build trust, and to promote peer-to-peer learning. (...)" Click here to read the full Statement.

The parliamentarians also called on the UNFCCC parties to deliver an agreement on the legal form of a post-2012 agreement in Durban, "subject to developed countries delivering on a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol or taking on comparable commitments, we urge all countries to begin negotiations as soon as possible on an internationally legally binding instrument, based on the principle of equity and common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities to promote the further implementation of the Convention, for the period after 2020 that gives the international community a reasonable chance of limiting global average temperature rise to a maximum of 2 degrees Celsius".