RI's NGOs call for clear ratification regulations<\/p>\n
Stevie Emilia, The Jakarta Post, New Delhi<\/p>\n
Indonesian non-governmental organizations attending the United
\nNations conference on climate change on Tuesday emphasized the
\nneed to clearly stipulate ratification regulations in the draft
\nDelhi Declaration prepared by the host country, India.<\/p>\n
Earlier, the delegates of the European Union (EU) criticized
\nIndia for not mentioning the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on global
\nwarming in the draft declaration.<\/p>\n
\"The Delhi Declaration should clearly include regulations
\nabout the urgency of Russia and Canada to immediately ratify the
\nKyoto Protocol so it can have legal power,\" said Eka Melisa,
\nWorld Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Indonesia program coordinator
\nfor climate change and energy on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The ratified countries' cumulative carbon-based emissions fall
\nshort of the 55 percent reduction of total emissions at 1990
\nlevels, the level needed for the agreement to come into force. So
\nfar 96 countries have already ratified the Kyoto Protocol.<\/p>\n
Russia is expected to come on board to help the protocol cross
\nthis threshold and come into effect while Canada has given signs
\nthat it would ratify the protocol soon to show that it can move
\nahead without the U.S.<\/p>\n
Canadian overview documents mentioned that if the protocol was
\nshattered, \"it could take years to negotiate a new international
\nagreement. Science suggests that we do not have time.\"<\/p>\n
Other developed countries that have not ratified the Kyoto
\nProtocol are Australia, New Zealand and the U.S., the world~s
\nbiggest air polluter which insists that the pact will hurt its
\neconomy.<\/p>\n
Poor countries are not required to cut greenhouse gasses until
\nthe second compliance period beginning 2012 but are expected to
\nbegin making commitments.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, Eka said that although the draft had included the
\nneed for developing countries to cope with natural disasters, it
\nmissed the point about the required funds as stipulated in the
\nprotocol.<\/p>\n
Under the protocol, the special climate change fund is
\nprovided for developing countries to help them prepare programs
\nto deal with the impact of climate change like natural disasters
\nand extreme change in weather.<\/p>\n
\"The draft should also mention the need to improve developing
\ncountries' capacity to adapt through technology transfer,\" Eka
\nsaid, adding that adapting and cutting down greenhouse gas
\nemissions are the key points in dealing with climate change.<\/p>\n
Poor countries are predicted to be severely hit by climate
\nchange but do not have the capacity to deal with resulting
\nproblems like floods, drought and rising sea levels.<\/p>\n
\"If the efforts to bring greenhouse gas emissions down fail,
\nwe should get ready to face extraordinary disasters resulting
\nfrom climate change,\" warned Moekti H. Soejachmoen, deputy
\nexecutive director of Pelangi, a NGO working on energy, climate,
\ntransportation, air pollution and forestry issues.<\/p>\n
The draft, which was distributed to delegates on Monday -- if
\napproved -- would be issued at the end of the conference.<\/p>\n
The draft faced strong criticism for failing to include the
\n1997 Kyoto Protocol. Indian environment minister T.R. Baalu who
\nis also president of the conference said earlier the protocol had
\nnot been dropped from the agenda but delegates sought to evolve a
\nconsensus on it during talks.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ris-ngos-call-for-clear-ratification-regulations-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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