ENVIRONMENT ministers tried to overcome rifts between rich and developing nations in Copenhagen yesterday, just days before a deadline for reaching a global pact on tackling climate change.
Most analysts expect only a nonbinding, political agreement out of the two-week gathering.
Highlighting a spat between top greenhouse gas emitters China and the US, United Nations Climate Change Secretariat head Yvo de Boer said at the weekend he hoped all countries would seek to raise their offers in the talks.
“China is calling on the US to do more. The US is calling on China to do more. I hope in the coming days everyone will call on everyone to do more,” he said.
The ministers were holding informal talks during a one-day break in the December 7-18 meeting involving 192 countries, which will culminate in a summit of world leaders on Thursday and Friday, including US President Barack Obama.
“There are still many challenges. There are still many unsolved problems,” Danish Minister Connie Hedegaard said. “But as ministers start to arrive there is also the political will.”
At the Bella Centre in Copenhagen the European Union (EU), Japan and Australia joined the US in criticising a draft pact that says major developing nations must rein in greenhouse gases, but only if they have outside financing. Rich states want to require developing states to limit emissions, with or without financial help.
Swedish Environment Minister Andreas Carlgren, representing the 27-nation EU, said “there has been a growing understanding that there must be commitments to actions by emerging economies as well”. He said those commitments “must be binding, in the sense that states are standing behind their commitments”.
Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said his country — the world’s fifth-largest greenhouse gas polluter — would not offer more than its pledge to slow its growth rate of emissions. It has offered to cut greenhouse gases measured against production by 20%-25% by 2020.
“National interest trumps everything else,” Ramesh said. “Whatever I have to do, I’ve said in my Parliament. We’ll engage them (the US and China). I’m not here to make new offers.”
China has made voluntary commitments to rein in its carbon emissions but does not want to be bound by international law to do so. In China’s view, the US and other rich countries have a heavy historical responsibility to cut emissions and any deal in Copenhagen should take into account a country’s level of development.
Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists said rich nations were trying to renegotiate the deal they reached two years ago on the island of Bali, calling on developing nations to limit emissions with financial help.
“It’s going to blow up in their faces,” he said. “The rich countries are trying to move the goal posts. And developing countries are not going to agree to that, no matter how loudly the rich countries demand it.”
The tightly focused negotiating text was meant to lay out the crunch themes for environment ministers to wrestle with as they prepare for a summit of 110 heads of state and government at the end of next week. US delegate Jonathan Pershing said the draft failed to address the contentious issue of carbon emissions by emerging economies. “The current draft didn’t work in terms of where it is headed,” Pershing said in the plenary, supported by the EU, Japan and Norway.
The EU, however, also criticised the US, insisting it could make greater commitments to push the talks forward without stretching the legislation pending in Congress. Carlgren said both the US and China should be legally bound to keep whatever promises they make, Carlgren said.
Hugh Cole, climate change coordinator for Oxfam southern Africa, said: “There has been progress in some areas, but there is still deep division on key issues between the developed and the developing world. The rich countries are still not putting substance on the table in terms of finance and mitigation,” he said. He said that as pressure mounts to secure a deal, pressure tactics would be applied to get an agreement.
“It’s clear that Africa will take a firm line on mitigation and finance, and certainly the negotiators won’t accept a hollow deal,” he said.
President Jacob Zuma and Minister of Environment and Water Affairs Buyelwa Sonjica will play a key leadership role this week, said Cole, as SA is a member of the Africa Group, while also grouped with China, Brazil and India.
“It won’t be easy, as they have to balance their role, but I believe they will stick to Africa’s common negotiating position,” he said.
Global warming could cost Africa about 30bn a year by 2015 and between 50bn and 100bn annually by 2020, reports said. Reuters, Sapa-AP
Most analysts expect only a nonbinding, political agreement out of the two-week gathering.
Highlighting a spat between top greenhouse gas emitters China and the US, United Nations Climate Change Secretariat head Yvo de Boer said at the weekend he hoped all countries would seek to raise their offers in the talks.
“China is calling on the US to do more. The US is calling on China to do more. I hope in the coming days everyone will call on everyone to do more,” he said.
The ministers were holding informal talks during a one-day break in the December 7-18 meeting involving 192 countries, which will culminate in a summit of world leaders on Thursday and Friday, including US President Barack Obama.
“There are still many challenges. There are still many unsolved problems,” Danish Minister Connie Hedegaard said. “But as ministers start to arrive there is also the political will.”
At the Bella Centre in Copenhagen the European Union (EU), Japan and Australia joined the US in criticising a draft pact that says major developing nations must rein in greenhouse gases, but only if they have outside financing. Rich states want to require developing states to limit emissions, with or without financial help.
Swedish Environment Minister Andreas Carlgren, representing the 27-nation EU, said “there has been a growing understanding that there must be commitments to actions by emerging economies as well”. He said those commitments “must be binding, in the sense that states are standing behind their commitments”.
Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said his country — the world’s fifth-largest greenhouse gas polluter — would not offer more than its pledge to slow its growth rate of emissions. It has offered to cut greenhouse gases measured against production by 20%-25% by 2020.
“National interest trumps everything else,” Ramesh said. “Whatever I have to do, I’ve said in my Parliament. We’ll engage them (the US and China). I’m not here to make new offers.”
China has made voluntary commitments to rein in its carbon emissions but does not want to be bound by international law to do so. In China’s view, the US and other rich countries have a heavy historical responsibility to cut emissions and any deal in Copenhagen should take into account a country’s level of development.
Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists said rich nations were trying to renegotiate the deal they reached two years ago on the island of Bali, calling on developing nations to limit emissions with financial help.
“It’s going to blow up in their faces,” he said. “The rich countries are trying to move the goal posts. And developing countries are not going to agree to that, no matter how loudly the rich countries demand it.”
The tightly focused negotiating text was meant to lay out the crunch themes for environment ministers to wrestle with as they prepare for a summit of 110 heads of state and government at the end of next week. US delegate Jonathan Pershing said the draft failed to address the contentious issue of carbon emissions by emerging economies. “The current draft didn’t work in terms of where it is headed,” Pershing said in the plenary, supported by the EU, Japan and Norway.
The EU, however, also criticised the US, insisting it could make greater commitments to push the talks forward without stretching the legislation pending in Congress. Carlgren said both the US and China should be legally bound to keep whatever promises they make, Carlgren said.
Hugh Cole, climate change coordinator for Oxfam southern Africa, said: “There has been progress in some areas, but there is still deep division on key issues between the developed and the developing world. The rich countries are still not putting substance on the table in terms of finance and mitigation,” he said. He said that as pressure mounts to secure a deal, pressure tactics would be applied to get an agreement.
“It’s clear that Africa will take a firm line on mitigation and finance, and certainly the negotiators won’t accept a hollow deal,” he said.
President Jacob Zuma and Minister of Environment and Water Affairs Buyelwa Sonjica will play a key leadership role this week, said Cole, as SA is a member of the Africa Group, while also grouped with China, Brazil and India.
“It won’t be easy, as they have to balance their role, but I believe they will stick to Africa’s common negotiating position,” he said.
Global warming could cost Africa about 30bn a year by 2015 and between 50bn and 100bn annually by 2020, reports said. Reuters, Sapa-AP
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