RI's NGOs call for clear ratification regulations

RI's NGOs call for clear ratification regulations

Stevie Emilia, The Jakarta Post, New Delhi

Indonesian non-governmental organizations attending the United
Nations conference on climate change on Tuesday emphasized the
need to clearly stipulate ratification regulations in the draft
Delhi Declaration prepared by the host country, India.

Earlier, the delegates of the European Union (EU) criticized
India for not mentioning the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on global
warming in the draft declaration.

"The Delhi Declaration should clearly include regulations
about the urgency of Russia and Canada to immediately ratify the
Kyoto Protocol so it can have legal power," said Eka Melisa,
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Indonesia program coordinator
for climate change and energy on Tuesday.

The ratified countries' cumulative carbon-based emissions fall
short of the 55 percent reduction of total emissions at 1990
levels, the level needed for the agreement to come into force. So
far 96 countries have already ratified the Kyoto Protocol.

Russia is expected to come on board to help the protocol cross
this threshold and come into effect while Canada has given signs
that it would ratify the protocol soon to show that it can move
ahead without the U.S.

Canadian overview documents mentioned that if the protocol was
shattered, "it could take years to negotiate a new international
agreement. Science suggests that we do not have time."

Other developed countries that have not ratified the Kyoto
Protocol are Australia, New Zealand and the U.S., the world~s
biggest air polluter which insists that the pact will hurt its
economy.

Poor countries are not required to cut greenhouse gasses until
the second compliance period beginning 2012 but are expected to
begin making commitments.

Furthermore, Eka said that although the draft had included the
need for developing countries to cope with natural disasters, it
missed the point about the required funds as stipulated in the
protocol.

Under the protocol, the special climate change fund is
provided for developing countries to help them prepare programs
to deal with the impact of climate change like natural disasters
and extreme change in weather.

"The draft should also mention the need to improve developing
countries' capacity to adapt through technology transfer," Eka
said, adding that adapting and cutting down greenhouse gas
emissions are the key points in dealing with climate change.

Poor countries are predicted to be severely hit by climate
change but do not have the capacity to deal with resulting
problems like floods, drought and rising sea levels.

"If the efforts to bring greenhouse gas emissions down fail,
we should get ready to face extraordinary disasters resulting
from climate change," warned Moekti H. Soejachmoen, deputy
executive director of Pelangi, a NGO working on energy, climate,
transportation, air pollution and forestry issues.

The draft, which was distributed to delegates on Monday -- if
approved -- would be issued at the end of the conference.

The draft faced strong criticism for failing to include the
1997 Kyoto Protocol. Indian environment minister T.R. Baalu who
is also president of the conference said earlier the protocol had
not been dropped from the agenda but delegates sought to evolve a
consensus on it during talks.