ID :
151281
Fri, 11/26/2010 - 17:49
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http://m.oananews.org//node/151281
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16th conference on climate changing opens in Cancun Monday
COPENHAGEN, November 26 (Itar-Tass) - Pragmatism, patience and
compromise are the key words of the 16th conference of parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The organisers are planning a conference on the level of ministers of climate and natural environment, but, according to the information Marta Barcena Coca, Mexico's ambassador to Denmark, a number of heads of state and government are going to attend it.
Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen is expected to come. He will pass over to Mexico the powers of a country presiding over the negotiating process on climate change.
A total of 18,000 people have been accredited to attend the Cancun conference. In other words, it is going to be as representative as the previous conference held in Copenhagen.
Last December Denmark convened the "climate summit" and launched a
cavalry attack there with the aim to secure the signing of a new
international legally binding treaty on the reduction of effluents of
hothouse gases, which are the main factor of the warming of the world
climate.
It is expected to replace the Kyoto protocol, whose term of
effect expires on December 31, 2012.
The Kyoto protocol, concluded in 1997, makes it incumbent upon 37
industrially developed countries, which ratified it, as well as the
European Union, to reduce hothouse gas effluents by 5 per cent in the
period of 2008-2012, as against 1990. The United States did not ratify the Kyoto protocol.
The developing countries demand he prolongation of the Kyoto protocol and insist on "the historic responsibility" of the industrially developed countries for the pollution of the atmosphere. China and India and the main pollutants of the atmosphere today.
This is why the industrially developed countries, which account for only 30 per cent of the effluents, do not agree to the automatic prolongation of the protocol.
Russia shares their stand. "We are not going to continue to be
signatories to the limited Kyoto protocol, if China or the United States
are not parties to it. If it is a global agreement, however, we are going
to join it," said Arkady Dvorkovich, assistant to the Russian President.
Another similar agreement has not been reached so far because of the
differences between industrially developed and developing countries,
mostly over the way of dividing expenditures on measures to prevent
climate changing. The Kyoto protocol is the only legally binding document
existing today, which provides for the reduction of effluents of hothouse
gases into the atmosphere.
The assault, launched at the previous conference, ended in failure. A
rather vague final document was adopted in Copenhagen. It provides for the
limitation of the warming of the world climate by two degrees, without
including a schedule for it or mentioning the sources of financing.
Early this year many industrially developed and developing countries
reported, in accordance with the Copenhagen Agreement, the measures they
planned voluntarily for reducing the effluents. All those reductions,
taken together, do hot permit to keep the warming of the world climate
within two degrees.
Tension remains at the talks between two groups of countries. In the
Danish capital the rich countries pledged to render assistance to
developing countries amounting to 30 billion dollars between 2010 and
2012, and starting from 2020, to allocate to them 100 billion dollars
annually, for helping them to get adjusted to climate changing. The poor
countries maintain that the money takes too much time for coming, and a
major part of the money they received came from other relief funds. So, it
was not "new, additional resources."
As a result of mid-term elections in the United States, the
Republicans consolidated their positions in the Congress. Last year they voted down the draft law, which provided for the limitation of effluents of hothouse gases into the atmosphere.
Many experts believe that one should not expect from the United States today any serious efforts, aimed at curbing the warming of the world climate. Following its example, other countries slow down their own efforts in that sphere.
Some countries live through a period of slow economic growth, face
financial problems and high unemployment, which makes them save money.
Other countries prefer to develop "green" technologies and to take
concrete measures in the sphere of energy saving, instead of holding talks about an international treaty.
Still other countries do not trust much the conclusion drawn up by scientists working in the sphere of climate changing.
This is why cautious and limited hopes are being pinned on the Cancun conference, unlike the previous conference in Copenhagen.
In the opinion of Cristina Figueres, executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Cancun conference may reach agreement on some "technical" problems, specifically, the assistance to the poor countries in getting adjusted to climate changing, the transfer of "pure" technologies to them and measures to protect forests, which consume carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
The most important task at the talks in Cancun, however, is to restore mutual trust between the industrially developed and developing countries, which was shaken in Copenhagen.
There is one more important question: if the Cancun conference ends in failure, this may call in question the future of the U.N. negotiating process on climate changing.
It has already been strongly criticised for sluggishness, complexity and the need for the reaching of consensus by 194 countries.
Suggestions have been made on holding talks on climate changing in a more narrow format - by the G20 countries or at the Forum of the
Leading Economies.
Both the U.N. and small countries object to it, because the small countries are affected by the warming of the global climate more than others.
Both experts and observers point out that the Cancun conference will be only an interim forum. An international legally binging agreement is expected to be signed at the 17th conference of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, due to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2011, or at the Earth Summit, to be held in Rio de Janeiro in 2012.
compromise are the key words of the 16th conference of parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The organisers are planning a conference on the level of ministers of climate and natural environment, but, according to the information Marta Barcena Coca, Mexico's ambassador to Denmark, a number of heads of state and government are going to attend it.
Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen is expected to come. He will pass over to Mexico the powers of a country presiding over the negotiating process on climate change.
A total of 18,000 people have been accredited to attend the Cancun conference. In other words, it is going to be as representative as the previous conference held in Copenhagen.
Last December Denmark convened the "climate summit" and launched a
cavalry attack there with the aim to secure the signing of a new
international legally binding treaty on the reduction of effluents of
hothouse gases, which are the main factor of the warming of the world
climate.
It is expected to replace the Kyoto protocol, whose term of
effect expires on December 31, 2012.
The Kyoto protocol, concluded in 1997, makes it incumbent upon 37
industrially developed countries, which ratified it, as well as the
European Union, to reduce hothouse gas effluents by 5 per cent in the
period of 2008-2012, as against 1990. The United States did not ratify the Kyoto protocol.
The developing countries demand he prolongation of the Kyoto protocol and insist on "the historic responsibility" of the industrially developed countries for the pollution of the atmosphere. China and India and the main pollutants of the atmosphere today.
This is why the industrially developed countries, which account for only 30 per cent of the effluents, do not agree to the automatic prolongation of the protocol.
Russia shares their stand. "We are not going to continue to be
signatories to the limited Kyoto protocol, if China or the United States
are not parties to it. If it is a global agreement, however, we are going
to join it," said Arkady Dvorkovich, assistant to the Russian President.
Another similar agreement has not been reached so far because of the
differences between industrially developed and developing countries,
mostly over the way of dividing expenditures on measures to prevent
climate changing. The Kyoto protocol is the only legally binding document
existing today, which provides for the reduction of effluents of hothouse
gases into the atmosphere.
The assault, launched at the previous conference, ended in failure. A
rather vague final document was adopted in Copenhagen. It provides for the
limitation of the warming of the world climate by two degrees, without
including a schedule for it or mentioning the sources of financing.
Early this year many industrially developed and developing countries
reported, in accordance with the Copenhagen Agreement, the measures they
planned voluntarily for reducing the effluents. All those reductions,
taken together, do hot permit to keep the warming of the world climate
within two degrees.
Tension remains at the talks between two groups of countries. In the
Danish capital the rich countries pledged to render assistance to
developing countries amounting to 30 billion dollars between 2010 and
2012, and starting from 2020, to allocate to them 100 billion dollars
annually, for helping them to get adjusted to climate changing. The poor
countries maintain that the money takes too much time for coming, and a
major part of the money they received came from other relief funds. So, it
was not "new, additional resources."
As a result of mid-term elections in the United States, the
Republicans consolidated their positions in the Congress. Last year they voted down the draft law, which provided for the limitation of effluents of hothouse gases into the atmosphere.
Many experts believe that one should not expect from the United States today any serious efforts, aimed at curbing the warming of the world climate. Following its example, other countries slow down their own efforts in that sphere.
Some countries live through a period of slow economic growth, face
financial problems and high unemployment, which makes them save money.
Other countries prefer to develop "green" technologies and to take
concrete measures in the sphere of energy saving, instead of holding talks about an international treaty.
Still other countries do not trust much the conclusion drawn up by scientists working in the sphere of climate changing.
This is why cautious and limited hopes are being pinned on the Cancun conference, unlike the previous conference in Copenhagen.
In the opinion of Cristina Figueres, executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Cancun conference may reach agreement on some "technical" problems, specifically, the assistance to the poor countries in getting adjusted to climate changing, the transfer of "pure" technologies to them and measures to protect forests, which consume carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
The most important task at the talks in Cancun, however, is to restore mutual trust between the industrially developed and developing countries, which was shaken in Copenhagen.
There is one more important question: if the Cancun conference ends in failure, this may call in question the future of the U.N. negotiating process on climate changing.
It has already been strongly criticised for sluggishness, complexity and the need for the reaching of consensus by 194 countries.
Suggestions have been made on holding talks on climate changing in a more narrow format - by the G20 countries or at the Forum of the
Leading Economies.
Both the U.N. and small countries object to it, because the small countries are affected by the warming of the global climate more than others.
Both experts and observers point out that the Cancun conference will be only an interim forum. An international legally binging agreement is expected to be signed at the 17th conference of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, due to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2011, or at the Earth Summit, to be held in Rio de Janeiro in 2012.
