  UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer
BY JAYA RAMACHANDRAN
IDN-InDepthNews Service
BARCELONA (IDN) – As the milestone UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen draws closer, hot and cold blowing is gathering momentum. This became obvious as the last negotiating session before the Conference kicked off Nov. 2 in Barcelona,
Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) called on President Obama to earn the Nobel Prize he was given for his efforts to strengthen international diplomacy. Instead of cooperating effectively to solve the climate crisis, the U.S. administration is undermining existing agreements and shirking wealthy nations' responsibility to lead the way in solving the climate crisis, FoEI stated.
Failing to solve the climate crisis in a just and equitable way will undermine peace in our world and basic human rights, the NGO said.
While the President's openness to diplomacy and international negotiations are a welcomed change, they must be matched by tangible action.
“Change we can believe in isn’t a continuation of Bush era climate policy,” said Kate Horner, policy analyst at Friends of the Earth U.S. “To earn his Nobel, President Obama must put an end to this isolationist nonsense and commit to acting cooperatively to solve the climate crisis,” she added.
“The rest of the world seems to be suffering from a severe case of amnesia, forgetting that we have once already allowed the United States to severely weaken international climate agreements,” said Antje von Broock, climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth Germany.
She was referring to the policy positions taken by the U.S. during the negotiations to establish the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. “The European Union must not fall into the same trap again.”
Vanessa María Gálvez Hernández, from Ceiba/ Friends of the Earth Guatemala said: “The people of Central America are fighting to defend our territories in the struggle against climate change. Transnational corporations and elites are responsible for the crisis and are promoting false solutions such as extractive activities, monoculture plantations, agribusiness, carbon markets, and free trade agreements. Instead we are promoting “Good Living” which is based on the principles of solidarity, equity, harmony and respect for mother Earth.”
FoEI is running an international petition demanding industrialised countries turn climate justice into reality, asking new targets of at least 40% emissions reductions compared to 1990 levels as well as sufficient public finance for adaptation and climate protection in the global south. “The world’s people are demanding real action,” stated FoEI.
NOW OR NEVER
The five-day meeting in Barcelona followed on the UN talks Sept. 28 to Oct. 9 in Bangkok, which – according to the UN climate change (UNFCCC) secretariat -- saw “increasing convergence, streamlining of negotiating text and narrowing down of options for a comprehensive, fair and effective international climate change deal”.
Nevertheless, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer said: “The Barcelona talks need to make clear progress and put in place a solid foundation for success at Copenhagen.” He added: “We have only five days to achieve this, only five days to further narrow down options and come up with working texts. But I am convinced that it can be done,” he added.
Specifically, progress on adaptation, technology cooperation, action to reduce emissions from deforestation in developing countries and enhanced capacity building was expected in Barcelona.
“Workable middle ground options have emerged on these items that can be taken forward and concretised,” said Yvo de Boer. “The good work needs to be continued, especially in view of preparing the ground for prompt implementation now and up to 2012.”
Alluding to a meeting of about 35 Environment Ministers ahead of the Barcelona talks, Danish Minister for Climate and Energy Connie Hedegaard said: “Ministers promised to instruct negotiators to be flexible and constructive towards a Copenhagen outcome.”
“Striking a deal is not easy now. But it will not be easer next year or the year after,” she added.
Heads of state and government meeting in New York earlier this year agreed that in Copenhagen, clarity must be provided on ambitious emission reduction targets of industrialised countries, as well as the need for nationally appropriate mitigation actions by developing countries with the necessary support.
A beacon to guide discussions is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s finding that an aggregate emission reduction by industrialized countries of between minus 25% and 40% over 1990 levels would be required by 2020, and that global emissions would need to be reduced by at least 50% by 2050, in order to stave off the worst effects of climate change.
“The targets of industrialised countries that are presently on the table are clearly not ambitious enough,” the UN’s top climate change official said. “We therefore need more ambitious targets on an individual basis and urgent progress on the negotiations under the Kyoto Protocol,” he added.
Heads of State and Government agreed in September at a UN climate summit in New York that Copenhagen must generate significantly scaled-up financial and technological resources, with a mechanism that would allow funds to be generated automatically over time, along with an equitable governance structure that manages and deploys those funds in line with the adaptation and mitigation needs of developing countries.
“Copenhagen must open the door to the common good and close the door to a common disaster,” said UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer.
“And in Denmark, governments must give their clear realistic answer both on what they will do to avoid catastrophic climate change and how to do it, along with delivering a strong, functioning architecture to kick-start rapid action in the developing world,” he added.
“The magnitude of long-term finance has been recognised, but more clarity on precise contributions from industrialised countries is needed ahead of Copenhagen, above all clarity on what the prompt start-up finance will be to unleash urgent action in developing countries,” Yvo de Boer said.
With 192 Parties, UNFCCC has near universal membership and is the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol has been ratified by 189 of the UNFCCC Parties. Under the Protocol, 37 States, consisting of highly industrialised countries and countries undergoing the process of transition to a market economy, have legally binding emission limitation and reduction commitments. The ultimate objective of both treaties is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system. (IDN-InDepthNews/03.11.09)
Copyright © 2009 IDN-InDepthNews Service
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