Hira P. Jhamtani , Gianyar, Bali | Sat, 09/12/2009 1:50 PM | Opinion
The article 'Urgent: Improved Climate Talks' by Hadi Soesastro (The Jakarta Post, Sept. 5, 2009) provides an interesting insight into the current climate change negotiations on at least two fronts. First is the role of the so-called 'major developing countries or major emerging economies'.
Second, about the relationship between negotiations under the UNFCCC, the official UN body for climate change negotiations, with the many initiatives that are taken outside it. Soesastro's concluding sentence raises an alarm.
He says, 'The UNFCCC process of negotiations may indeed resemble the process of multilateral trade negotiations under the WTO. Kyoto was the first round, Copenhagen the second round, to be followed by further rounds of negotiations that hopefully will take place under a progressively improved climate for negotiations.' This is alarming, as the climate change issue cannot wait for protracted negotiations that are characteristic of the multilateral trade negotiations such as the World Trade Organizations.
Already climate change is creating havoc for the poorest communities, especially in developing countries and even for entire nations such as small island ones. Climate change is not a trade issue. It is about injustice to the poorest communities, about the development of poor nations, about the survival of the earth and its inhabitants. It must be addressed today, in a fair manner by making those who are responsible take actions responsibly.
Who is responsible? A growing civil society movement at the global level says the responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions (which cause global warming and in turn impact on the climate) lies principally with developed countries. With less than a fifth of the world's population, they have grown wealthy while emitting almost three-quarters of all historic GHG emissions into the atmosphere. This leaves developing countries with less "atmospheric space", while having to shoulder the burden of the impacts of climate change.
Thus there is an increasing call for developed countries to pay their "climate debt". This concept of debt relating to climate change has been advanced by some countries, NGOs and
First, the overuse of the atmosphere by developed countries to the extent that the Earth's capacity to absorb GHGs is diminished, thus denying that space to developing countries in their course of development.
Second, the adverse impacts of climate change in developing countries that contribute to lost development opportunities due to damage to property and human lives.
In the context of the current UNFCCC negotiations, it is clear what needs to be done. Developed countries must put on the table their commitments to reduce their GHG emissions, unconditionally, to be undertaken through domestic measures. This should be done as the second and subsequent commitment periods as envisaged by the
The first commitment period of GHG emissions (reducing emissions by about 5 percent from 2008) ends in 2012. In the negotiations, many of them have put low emissions reduction figures, with various conditions. None are willing to go beyond 30 percent reduction of GHG emissions from 1990 levels by 2020, while many developing countries call for a reduction of at least 40-45 percent from 1990 levels.
Instead of making these commitments, developed countries have, for the past two years, shifted the burden of climate change to "future emitters" such as China, India,
Future emissions can be curbed if developed countries also put on the table their commitments to providing financing and technology transfer to developing countries. The G77 and China (group of developing countries) have put on the table their proposals for these two issues, but have yet to get a response from developed countries.
An improved climate talk may be achieved, under the UNFCCC, if these two issues are discussed seriously and commitments are made. Only then can we talk about the responsibilities of developing countries as well. This would make it a fair deal. Instead, initiatives outside the UNFCCC have been created, as if to advance the talks at the UNFCCC.
The United States, for instance, wanted to advance discussions at alternative forums (the so-called MEF, G20, etc.), and for the ideas emerging from these to be brought to the UNFCCC to solve critical problems. Developing countries, on the other hand stressed that the UNFCCC was the proper forum for negotiations on climate change, and not discussions taking place outside it. This debate occurred during the last inter-session meeting of the UNFCCC in Bonn, Germany, in August 2009.
Even India, which has been participating in those other forums, said it participated on the explicit understanding that deliberations there were not in the nature of parallel negotiations, nor aimed at pre-empting in any manner decisions that must be taken under the UNFCCC.
Thus the path is very simple. Developed countries need to acknowledge their climate debt, negotiate over how to pay that debt, and implement the results of the negotiations all under the UNFCCC. That would improve the climate talks. The only round that should happen is the implementation round of the UNFCCC, for which developing countries have been calling for years now.
The writer is a researcher on sustainable development policies, and has been attending UNFCCC meetings as an observer since 2007.
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