UN meeting bogged down over emission cuts<\/p>\n
Stevie Emilia, The Jakarta Post, New Delhi<\/p>\n
The climate conference's Delhi Declaration has included a
\nreference to the Kyoto Protocol on climate change and leans on
\nthe concerns of developing and least developed countries while
\naccommodating the interests of developed countries.<\/p>\n
The first draft of the declaration, prepared by the
\nconference's president, T.R. Baalu, who is India's Minister of
\nEnvironment, failed to mention the Kyoto Protocol, which binds
\nindustrialized countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,
\nraising strong protests from developing countries.<\/p>\n
Indonesian delegation member Agus Pratama Sari described the
\ndeclaration as being \"very weak\", since it stipulates buzz words
\nbut has no real guidelines for its implementation.<\/p>\n
\"I say that this declaration is a missed opportunity because
\nwe're here to go for it only because we have to have a
\n`declaration',\" Agus, who is also the executive director of
\nPelangi, a research center focusing on forestry, energy and
\nclimate change issues, said on Friday on the sidelines of the
\nfinal meetings to polish up the declaration.<\/p>\n
The declaration reaffirms the developing countries' stance
\nthat developed countries should implement their commitments under
\nthe convention, including those relating to a provision of
\nfinancial resources and technology transfer.<\/p>\n
It also puts an emphasis on the fact that economic and social
\ndevelopment and poverty eradication are the first and overriding
\npriorities for developing countries.<\/p>\n
In the Kyoto Protocol, the declaration does not move beyond
\nthe Marrakesh Accord, stating that \"parties that have ratified
\nthe Kyoto Protocol should strongly urge parties that have not
\nalready done so to ratify the Kyoto Protocol in a timely manner\".<\/p>\n
Agus said the Indonesian delegation welcomed the declaration
\nin its emphasis on adaptation \"but what we really want to see is
\nthe part saying that adaptation cannot be separated from
\nmitigation. The world community has an obligation to cut
\ngreenhouse gas emissions. Unfortunately, the declaration missed
\nthe link\".<\/p>\n
The Eighth Conference of the Parties (COP 8) to the United
\nNations Framework Convention on Climate Change in New Delhi is
\nlikely to be the last conference before the 1997 Kyoto Protocol,
\nwhich aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions from the developed
\nworld by 2012 to 5.2 percent below the 1990 level. But the United
\nStates -- the world's biggest polluter -- and Australia refused
\nto ratify the accord.<\/p>\n
In order to take effect, the protocol needs to be ratified by
\na sufficient number of developed countries to account for at
\nleast 55 percent of the developed countries' 1990 carbon emission
\nlevel.<\/p>\n
But during the 10-day conference at the Vigyan Bhawan
\nConference Center, developed countries -- including the U.S.
\ndelegations -- insisted on poor countries to step up efforts to
\ncut emissions. Poor and developing countries, on the other hand,
\nsaid they could not afford the cost of cutting emissions as they
\naccounted for only a little pollution in the first place and had
\nto struggle to feed their poor population.<\/p>\n
\"I think the declaration benefits developed countries most
\nsince it fails to clearly spell out the industrialized countries'
\nobligations under the Kyoto Protocol and Convention. They must be
\nvery happy,\" Agus said.<\/p>\n
He also regretted the absence of clear guidelines to meet the
\nconference's target.<\/p>\n
\"The aim of this conference is to cut the dangerous
\nconcentration of greenhouse gases. Not only emissions but the
\nconcentration of them as well. Unfortunately, there is not one
\nsingle guideline which clearly defines the conditions which
\nthreaten the climate. So how are we going to get on under way?\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Agus also said the declaration should pinpoint countries that
\nneed to ratify immediately, such as the U.S., Australia, Canada
\nand Russia.<\/p>\n
The Climate Action Network (CAN), a leading non-governmental
\norganization, said the wording in the Kyoto Protocol was merely
\n\"cosmetic\". \"The declaration fails to demand the immediate and
\nunconditional ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by all
\ncountries, especially the world's biggest polluter, the United
\nStates,\" CAN said in a statement.<\/p>",
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