The week of June 6-10, 2022 was a busy one for ICC. The UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) 78 meeting took place in London. Meanwhile, in Bonn, Germany, a meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)’s Subsidiary Bodies took place.
ICC Canada Vice-President International Lisa Koperqualuk took part in the meetings in Germany in person, and London, virtually.
On June 6th Lisa Koperqualuk participated in a webinar called “Rising temperatures, Rising Seas”. It discussed the reports produced during the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th assessment cycle, especially the report on mitigation most recently released, and the consequences of climate change for communities in the Arctic and the South Pacific. It was organized by the Clean Arctic Alliance, which included officials from the government of Tonga. Here’s the link to the webinar: https://bit.ly/3Hl64gF
On June 9th, from the Bonn conference, a side-event coordinated with the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) and other partners was held. Lisa Koperqualuk was one of six panelists discussing the important of Indigenous Peoples in global climate action.
In her introduction Lisa stated, “With our recognized status in international forums like the United Nations, the Arctic Council, the IPCC, and the IMO, we are working with our partners in these forums to ensure they truly understand where we are coming from, especially regarding our rights, our knowledge, our Inuit traditional values, and how to engage and work with us in an appropriate way.”
She then spoke about the newly launched Circumpolar Inuit Protocols for Equitable and Ethical Engagement, formally launched by ICC on June 2nd, and online here: https://bit.ly/3txKgZT Lisa presented on our engagement with the IPCC as expert reviewer, a contributing author, and more recently as an official observer. She also reported on ICC’s participation in the Facilitative Working Group under the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIPP).
Later in the week at the IMO MEPC 78 conference in London, ICC engaged in both the debate about the revision of the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reduction strategy, and on the need to include black carbon in the life cycle assessment of marine fuels.
Lastly, ICC submitted comments to the IMO black carbon correspondence group on prioritizing the establishment of emission control areas, speed reduction, and developing a mandatory measure to switch away from heavy fuel oil (HFO) in the Arctic.