International Climate Negotiations – A Delicate State of Play
Damon Jones will present an update on where things stand in the international climate negotiations - looking back at the disappointment of COP25 in Madrid last December and ahead to the challenges and opportunities along the uncertain road to COP26 in Glasgow, now to be held in 2021. Damon will explain the priorities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs), including their championing of the need for higher ambition to limit warming to 1.5°C. He will compare this with the positions and politics played by Australia at COP25 and in the months since then. Finally, Damon will touch upon the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic may have on climate diplomacy in the lead up to COP26, and the opportunities for green economic recovery packages to have a fundamental impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Damon Jones is the Head of Climate Diplomacy at Climate Analytics and is based in Cologne, Germany. He has over 20 years of experience working as a climate and environmental lawyer for international, government and private sector organisations.
Damon’s responsibilities at Climate Analytics include leading negotiation support and advisory activities to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) under the UNFCCC, Paris Agreement, Green Climate Fund (GCF) and other international climate fora. He was at the heart of the Paris climate negotiations in 2015, including as an advisor to Minister James Fletcher of Saint Lucia in his role as co-facilitator on the ambition elements of the Paris Agreement. Over the last four years, Damon has supported vulnerable countries in the development and negotiation of the implementation guidelines under the Paris rule-book.
Prior to his time at Climate Analytics, Damon worked in government and the private sector in Australia and the United Kingdom, advising on and developing policy and legislation for various environmental, sustainability and climate issues at the domestic and multilateral level. He holds a Master of Environmental Law from the University of Sydney and regularly writes, presents and teaches on climate topics. For the last five years, Damon has taught international climate change law to International Environmental Law and Comparative Environmental Law students in the International Master of Environmental Sciences (IMES) programme at the University of Cologne, Germany.