Author Archives: maxvandeursen

Aarti Gupta at COP29 press conference: ‘The accountability deficit’

At COP29 in Baku, TRANSGOV PI Aarti Gupta spoke in a press conference about transparency and accountability in the UNFCCC. In this press conference, Aarti Gupta provided reflections on COP-29 from a Global South perspective. Key messages: The Business Standard reported on this press conference: “Dr. Aarti Gupta from Wageningen University emphasised that transparency wasContinue reading “Aarti Gupta at COP29 press conference: ‘The accountability deficit’”

COP29 and the Politics of Transparency: Four Crucial Issues to Watch

Key Highlights: 2024 is an important year for transparency in the international climate regime. By the end of the year, the first biennial transparency reports (BTRs) are due under the Paris Agreement’s new enhanced transparency framework. At COP29 there will be much buzz around these new transparency reports. But there are also other important transparencyContinue reading “COP29 and the Politics of Transparency: Four Crucial Issues to Watch”

Climate transparency at COP28: What is (back/soon-not-anymore) on the agenda?

Various transparency related negotiations and events are on the agenda for COP28.  In this blogpost I provide a brief overview of four key agenda items. With the transition to the enhanced transparency framework in 2024 around the corner, negotiations at this COP provide an opportunity to shape the new and revisit the old.   1.   Continue reading “Climate transparency at COP28: What is (back/soon-not-anymore) on the agenda?”

Transparency at COP27: Five key outcomes

Before COP27 we published this blogpost outlining 5 key processes related to transparency to follow.  This blogpost reflects on the key outcomes. 1.    The voluntary review of adaptation (and loss and damage) information: agreed! As we reported in our pre-COP27 blog, under current transparency rules, there is no provision for technical review of information submittedContinue reading “Transparency at COP27: Five key outcomes”

Transparency at COP27: follow these five processes    

COP27 is around the corner. What to expect for transparency negotiations? At first glance, it may seem like intensive transparency negotiations are now a thing of the past. The rules for the Enhanced Transparency Framework of the Paris Agreement are described by the Modalities, procedures and guidelines from Katowice and the reporting guidance from Glasgow.Continue reading “Transparency at COP27: follow these five processes    “

Capacity building for climate transparency: A database and dashboard of CBIT projects

Capacity building for climate transparency is generally understood as a neutral means to ensure all countries have the capacity to report information to the UNFCCC. However, an earlier TRANSGOV article problematized this proposition and highlighted that capacity building may in practice steer the type of transparency generated by countries and influence politically contested discussions overContinue reading “Capacity building for climate transparency: A database and dashboard of CBIT projects”

An assessment of capacity building for climate transparency under the UNFCCC

This blog post is based on the recently published article in Climate Policy by Susanne Konrad, Max van Deursen & Aarti Gupta Elaborate transparency systems are now at the core of the 2015 Paris Agreement, with the assumption that this will enhance accountability, trust, and greater climate policy ambition. With transparency becoming ever more central, much attentionContinue reading “An assessment of capacity building for climate transparency under the UNFCCC”

Transparency of (in)Action? Eight key matters to follow in the COP26 transparency negotiations

COP26 is just around the corner. What to expect? Key negotiation items on the agenda are common timeframes for NDCs, market mechanisms, climate finance and transparency. Indeed, transparency is one of the most contentious negotiation items, with talks on this item closed to observers at the preceding intersessional session in May-June 2021. This blogpost outlinesContinue reading “Transparency of (in)Action? Eight key matters to follow in the COP26 transparency negotiations”