Climate Change Negotiations Game

Instructions and Participants

Instructions

The objective of this game is for the participants, all Parties to the United Nations Framework
Agreement to agree on a “Paris Declaration on Implementing the Paris Agreement”. In this
game, the setting is Paris, France in December 2020 where Parties of the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change are meeting to finalize implementation details of the Paris
Agreement so countries can finalize their implementation plans. It’s the fifth year anniversary of
the Agreement and everyone agrees that it is urgent to make progress.

The game will begin with the opening Plenary session where Parties will deliver opening
statements that will state how is climate change going to affect each country or the constituencies
they represent, what it wants the world to do about the issue, the kind of agreement the Party
wants to achieve in Paris, and what the country/organization is willing to do on climate change.
Each party shall also articulate their initial positions on the issues listed below.

For purposes of this exercise, the United States continues to be a party to the Paris Agreement
but has threatened to pull out. At the eve of the conference, Trump is still the President of the
United States but an election is about to be held that could change the US position when
negotiations begin.

In the negotiation, the following issues will have to be addressed by the players (acting out roles
as Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement):

(1) The science of climate change – Most scientists believe that climate change is real.
That is the consensus of the members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change. However, there are a few scientists who dissent from the majority view.
Unfortunately, the new US government is supporting this view that climate change is
not a real problem. How should the parties resolve this issue? How do you deal with
scientific uncertainty in climate change?

(2) Objective and Principles

What should the goal be of the Paris Agreement? Should it be 1.5 or 2 degrees
maximum increase? Should it be decarbonization? What principles should guide the
Parties in implementing the Paris Agreement? Is the Common but differentiated
responsible principle and the historical responsibility principle still valid? What is the
role of human rights and respecting the integrity of ecosystems in climate change
actions? Is the preamble of the Paris Agreement legally binding on Parties? Is there a
need to come out with a COP decision establishing clearer obligations on human
rights?

(3) Climate Support – Finance, Technology Transfer, and Capacity Building

 The biggest issue in the climate change negotiations continues to be Support. Who
will pay for the mitigation and adaptation actions that are agreed in (1) and (2)?
Should developed countries pay the whole bill? Should the big developing countries
pay their share too? Should a distinction be made between different types of
developed and developing countries in terms of their responsibility? Should financial
contributions be based on responsibility for climate change and/or capacity to pay?
Should the private sector and markets be a source of funds? Is there an obligation to
transfer technology without due regard to intellectual property rights? Is there a legal
duty to help developing countries build capacity to mitigate and adapt to climate
change?

(4) Climate Justice

Developing countries that are vulnerable to and suffering climate change are seeking the
establishment of a climate justice and redress mechanism. This is different from
adaptation mechanisms in that what is being sought for is compensation based on liability
under the polluters’ pay principle. There is already broad agreement on a loss and damage
mechanism but that is not adequate for vulnerable countries. What principles of liability
should be adopted on climate justice? What remedies and processes should be allowed –
eg. adjudication, mediation, arbitration? Are there institutions that need to be established
like an International Climate Justice Tribunal or is the International Court of Justice an
adequate forum?

Each country and organization must come with a prepared speech to deliver at a plenary session
that will be presided over by France. During the Plenary speech, each State through its
Environmental or Foreign Minister must address the four issues mentioned above. Therefore, all
of the participants must know what climate change means for their country and what their
current positions on these issues are. Research is needed for these as well as familiarity with the
materials that are in the course outline and posted in the Facebook page.

Bring your own Flags (in UNFCCC speak, this means the name of the country/observer that you
can put in front of your table). Please dress the part – use your national dress or business attire.

The plenary sessions will be followed by a negotiation session where these four issues will be
distributed to three working groups based on a negotiation text to be provided by the professor.
The plenary will be chaired by the COP President, France) and the three working groups will
have a chair (to be assigned later). Instructions will be given after the plenary.

States represented (roles to be assigned as needed)

France
China (2 delegates)
USA (2 delegates)
India (2 delegates)
Philippines
European Union (represented by Germany and Poland – 2 delegates)
Saudi Arabia
Fiji
Barbados
Bolivia
Kenya
Japan

Last five countries to be assigned:

Switzerland
South Africa
Indonesia
Russia
Colombia
Brazil
Nigeria