From Kyoto To Copenhagen

By: Hilary Chiew on December 15th, 2008

The UK junior minister’s confirmation confirms suspicions of developing nations negotiators who are frustrated by the lack of progress in the various negotiation forums at Poznan.

If rich nations have their way, the Kyoto Protocol will not be extended at Copenhagen when parties to the United Nations climate convention reconvene next year.

At least one member of an Annex-I country has openly stated her country’s position on the road to Copenhagen from Poznan, where 189 nations are negotiating several packages that will determine the outcome in Copenhagen.

The UK junior minister for climate change, Joan Ruddock said her government is working (towards Copenhagen) on the basis that there must be a new deal.

“At the moment, we’re not considering a second phase [to the Kyoto Protocol],” she told a group of Climate Change Media Partnership fellows this afternoon.

The confirmation confirms suspicions of developing nations negotiators who are frustrated by the lack of progress in the various negotiation forums at Poznan that it was a tactical delay to pave the way for a new global deal with contribution of emission reduction from emerging countries.

Non-Annex-I parties are disturbed by the overt approach of some developed countries from the start of the meeting here that are pushing hard for a global goal under the ‘Shared Vision’ theme being discussed.

The Protocol that was adopted in 1997 at Kyoto is a legally-binding agreement that requires 37 developed nations to lower their emissions by a collective 5 per cent between 2008 and 2012.

But before that commitment phase ends, there is a need to plan ahead of 2012 especially with emerging scientific evidence that the world is hurling towards catastrophic climate change and deep cuts are desperately needed.

Ruddock said she made no apology for the insistence of having rapidly developing countries like China to share the burden.

“We can’t have business as usual (attitudes) in emerging economies where their carbon dioxide emission is overtaking those in industrialised countries.”

“We can’t have a deal without growing big emitters playing some parts. It’s just not possible for China to stay out,” she said, adding that that would be vital to get United States onboard the new deal.

She also said that UK will commit to a 20 per cent reduction by 2020 and will only agree to a 30 per cent cut if there’s a new deal.