Costa Rican Emerging as Leading Candidate for UN Climate Chief

Costa Rica is the latest country to throw its hat into the UN climate chief ring with the official nomination of a popular carbon-market proponent to head up the world's top climate body.

President Oscar Aria formally nominated Christiana Figueres, Costa Rica's long-time lead climate negotiator, for the job on March 11. A new global warming chief is expected to fill the coming vacancy of Yvo de Boer, the Dutch national who has led the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for four arduous years.

"We believe that Mrs. Figueres can play a key role in the executive secretary, building bridges and building understanding among the key players in the climate change issue," Jorge Urbina, permanent representative to the United Nations for Costa Rica, told reporters on Monday.

Figueres' resume includes a long list of UN-related climate positions over the past 15 years, including a turn as Latin American representative on the executive board of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and stints as co-chair of CDM negotiating groups.

The CDM, the world's second-largest carbon market, is the Kyoto Protocol scheme that allows rich states to invest in clean-energy projects in poorer nations in exchange for offsetting their emissions.

Figueres' familiarity with emissions trading has made her a leading choice among market participants.

Henry Derwent, the president of the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA), a Geneva-based group that helps govern carbon trading worldwide, called Figueres an "excellent" candidate.

"She has a history of a lot of exposure to — and dealings with — the carbon market," Derwent told SolveClimate, "both in terms of the compliance market, particularly the CDM compliance in the European Union, and also the voluntary market."

Top-notch climate leadership, however, will require more than carbon market know-how.

The UN is looking for a new chief against the backdrop of December's failed Copenhagen climate change summit, which resulted in the non-binding "Copenhagen Accord." The unpopular, three-page document couldn't gain the unanimous approval needed for adoption and was merely "noted" by the 193 nations represented at the conference. To date, around 110 nations have chosen to formally associate with the accord, though its standing remains unclear.

"All of us who have been in this process agree that we didn't like the Copenhagen process," said Figueres, during a press conference Monday designed to shore up support for her candidacy. "It was not inclusive. It was not transparent. It was not effective."

Above all, said Figueres, the Copenhagen talks eroded trust. The confidence problem, she said, now runs deep "at all levels."

Figures highlighted the waning trust in climate science and in the negotiations themselves, on top of the long-broken trust between rich and poor countries.

Rebuilding Trust

Most analysts agree that appointing a developing country to lead the UNFCCC could help restore trust among nations in 2010. The previous three executive secretaries came from European backgrounds.

There is "no question" a developing nation must take the helm at this stage, said Derwent. "The process has not managed to mend the constant lack of trust between developed and developing countries."

Derwent said Figueres "has the confidence of both North and South countries and of both private and public sector." That, he said, "is a rare thing."

Other candidates nominated for the top job include India's Vijai Sharma, a senior member of its environmental ministry, who has the support of China, according to reports. Indonesia is soon expected to nominate a candidate. South Africa has picked Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk, a former environment minister and perhaps the toughest competition for Figueres.

"I think Marthinus van Schalkwyk is a very good candidate as well," said Derwent, citing the minister’s experience as chief spokesperson of the G77 for the Kyoto negotiations.

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