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83951
Fri, 10/09/2009 - 21:26
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http://m.oananews.org//node/83951
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UN’s Bangkok climate close inconclusively, without decisions on finance and targets
BANGKOK, Oct 9 (TNA/UNFCCC) – Two weeks of negotiating ‘readiness’ for the December United Nations World Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen ended Friday in the Thai capital with progress made on the “bricks and mortar” essentials of the Copenhagen agreed outcome, but falling short of hoped-for clarity regarding what can actually be delivered for a workable international climate change deal.
While the Bangkok meeting achieved a “willingness” to form a structure to quickly implement climate action, according to UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer, it did not succeed in overcoming differences and decisions on finance and targets.
No substantive progress was achieved on emission cuts for wealthy nations or providing funding for poor countries, which are essential elements of a global warming pact.
Deadlocked negotiations suggest that elements of a climate pact to control greenhouse gases cannot be achieved before world leaders gather in Copenhagen in December to recommend a replacement to the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.
According to Secretary de Boer, the world’s citizens worldwide “have a right to know exactly what their governments will do to prevent dangerous climate change.
“It is time now to step back from self interest and let the common interest prevail,” Mr de Boer added.
Progress was made on adaptation, technology transfer, capacity building and agreed on technical issues such as forests and land use, measuring global warming potentials of new greenhouse gases and options to strengthen the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism.
But little progress was made regarding mid-term emission reduction targets for the industrialised countries, and there is no clarity about necessary funding for developing countries which must further limit their emissions growth and adapt to the inevitable effects of climate change.
The wealthy, mainly western, industrial countries can boost their target for agreement in Copenhagen by following Norway’s example of cutting emissions by 40 per cent, the UN climate chief said.
Negotiators will meet for five more days in Barcelona next month and have three weeks for “guidance from their political leaders” to end their work before the December meeting in Copenhagen, Mr de Boer said.
“Bold leadership” must pass the roadblocks and achieve essential targets and finances to complete the process, he said.
Heads of state and government meeting in New York in September identified five core issues for a comprehensive, fair and effective Copenhagen agreement.
Any Copenhagen climate change deal must ensure enhanced action “to assist the most vulnerable and the poorest to adapt to the impacts of climate change,” he suggested.
In New York world leaders saw that without clear emission reduction targets and action by the industrialized countries, nationally appropriate mitigation actions by developing countries could not be achieved.
Heads of state and government agreed that climate change outcomes need to generate financial and technological resources, with mechanism to generate funds automatically over time.
Accordingly, the world leaders said, a viable Copenhagen agreement must create an equitable governance structure to manage funds for adaptation and mitigation to address the actual needs of the developing countries.
With 192 countries and other parties, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has almost universal membership. It is the forebear of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, with 184 members. Under the protocol, 37 states, both highly industrialized countries and those in transition to a market economy, have legally binding emission limits and reduction commitments. Both treaties aim to stabilise greenhouse gas in the air at a level to prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system. (TNA/UNFCCC)
While the Bangkok meeting achieved a “willingness” to form a structure to quickly implement climate action, according to UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer, it did not succeed in overcoming differences and decisions on finance and targets.
No substantive progress was achieved on emission cuts for wealthy nations or providing funding for poor countries, which are essential elements of a global warming pact.
Deadlocked negotiations suggest that elements of a climate pact to control greenhouse gases cannot be achieved before world leaders gather in Copenhagen in December to recommend a replacement to the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.
According to Secretary de Boer, the world’s citizens worldwide “have a right to know exactly what their governments will do to prevent dangerous climate change.
“It is time now to step back from self interest and let the common interest prevail,” Mr de Boer added.
Progress was made on adaptation, technology transfer, capacity building and agreed on technical issues such as forests and land use, measuring global warming potentials of new greenhouse gases and options to strengthen the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism.
But little progress was made regarding mid-term emission reduction targets for the industrialised countries, and there is no clarity about necessary funding for developing countries which must further limit their emissions growth and adapt to the inevitable effects of climate change.
The wealthy, mainly western, industrial countries can boost their target for agreement in Copenhagen by following Norway’s example of cutting emissions by 40 per cent, the UN climate chief said.
Negotiators will meet for five more days in Barcelona next month and have three weeks for “guidance from their political leaders” to end their work before the December meeting in Copenhagen, Mr de Boer said.
“Bold leadership” must pass the roadblocks and achieve essential targets and finances to complete the process, he said.
Heads of state and government meeting in New York in September identified five core issues for a comprehensive, fair and effective Copenhagen agreement.
Any Copenhagen climate change deal must ensure enhanced action “to assist the most vulnerable and the poorest to adapt to the impacts of climate change,” he suggested.
In New York world leaders saw that without clear emission reduction targets and action by the industrialized countries, nationally appropriate mitigation actions by developing countries could not be achieved.
Heads of state and government agreed that climate change outcomes need to generate financial and technological resources, with mechanism to generate funds automatically over time.
Accordingly, the world leaders said, a viable Copenhagen agreement must create an equitable governance structure to manage funds for adaptation and mitigation to address the actual needs of the developing countries.
With 192 countries and other parties, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has almost universal membership. It is the forebear of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, with 184 members. Under the protocol, 37 states, both highly industrialized countries and those in transition to a market economy, have legally binding emission limits and reduction commitments. Both treaties aim to stabilise greenhouse gas in the air at a level to prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system. (TNA/UNFCCC)
