Civil Society Analysis of Climate Negotiations Warns
(Jubilee South) BONN, Germany – Today, civil society organizations from across the globe have released a statement analyzing the state of UN climate negotiations after one week of talks in Bonn – with the current state of the negotiations suggesting the world is on track for a 4 degree increase in temperatures by 2100.
The analysis reveals that there are grave concerns that the negotiations are headed toward a world with no meaningful international agreement to control climate change. Such a system would lead to 4 degrees of warming and catastrophic climate change impacts, according to an article in the scientific journal Nature.
Many rich countries are seeking to replace the current system in place to tackle the problem – including the legally binding Kyoto Protocol, in which developed countries recognise their culpability for causing climate change – with a weaker system based on voluntary pledges.
Commenting at a press conference unveiling the analysis of the first week of the talks, Meena Raman, policy analyst from the Third World Network, said:
“The system advanced by many developed countries offers the worst of both worlds – a system with no science-based targets for developed countries and with inadequate pledges, expansive loopholes and carbon markets allowing them to shift the burden further to poor countries.”
Matthew Stilwell, Director of the European office of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, added:
“If the European Union backs down on the Kyoto Protocol then we may well end up with no aggregate target for developed countries, no requirement for legally binding national targets, no comparability of efforts, and no requirement that reductions are achieved domestically, without resorting to instruments like carbon offsetting. That would be a disaster for international law and for the planet.”
Mithika Mwenda, Coordinator of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance said:
“We need the negotiations to be open and accessible – it is deeply concerning that the Bali Roadmap is not being honoured and that the vulnerable countries are being sidelined.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
1. The statement, signed by groups from across the world finds that:
The Bali road map understanding, which envisages the continuation of the Kyoto Protocol and another outcome covering US emissions and developing country actions, is being ignored.
In its place many rich countries are advocating for voluntary pledges of emission reductions – not legally binding, scientifically based targets.
The total of the voluntary pledges has a huge gap from the legally binding science-based targets needed and could lead to 4 degrees in warming.
Rich countries are not being transparent about how they intend to meet their weak emission pledges: how much they will ‘offset’ in developing countries or hide in loose rules on counting land-use emissions and the use of surplus allowances.
Rich countries are trying to move negotiations out of the UN and into smaller forums, undermining the ability of poor countries to organize and represent their interests
2. A copy of the full analysis is available on request.
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June 7, 2010 at 3:15 pm
Frans Verhagen, Ph.D.
I believe civil society should question in a loud, sophisticated way the present world disorder and propose the transformation of the world’s most basic system, i.e. the international monetary system that is not working on account of the currency manipulation and speculation, floating exchange rates, huge financial imbalances, all based upon the lack of monetary standard.
The new international monetary system is to be based upon a carbon standard which would lead to fixed exchange rates and debit and creditor carbon accounts in the nations’ balance of payments. A UN World Central Bank would be the global monetary authority replacing the G20’s Bank of International Settlements and its very influential Group of 30 central bankers and finance ministers and the IMF. If the nations are getting to an impasse in Cancun and demonstrate the gross unacceptability of a 4 degrees temperature rise and if another major financial crisis, caused this time both the USA and Europe, is to happen, nations may finally get to understand that basing the international monetary system on a carbon standard creates an institutional means of integrated financing for climate and development, rejuvenates a very poorly working international monetary system and in the progress pushes for UN Reform to harbor this transformed, carbon- based international monetary system.
June 10, 2010 at 3:56 pm
Bonn negotiations veering perilously
[…] details, refer to this release and document signed by a number of progressive civil society organizations evaluating the state of […]
June 30, 2010 at 10:06 pm
Adam Zemans
The only hope for US participation is to also pressure China to get on board with absolute MRV emissions limits as oppossed to relative energy intensity voluntary commitments. This requirement goes beyond current Kyoto commitments, which the US will never ratify without Chinese responsibilities.
Without wanting to take the US off the hook, “developed”in this context is an obsolete and grossly oversimplified term, which some “developing” countries are clinging to as a (relatively new) negotiation strategy. (Once upon a time, some “developing” countries thought the Kyoto Protocol was too right-wing)!
If you stick to the Kyoto dogma, you are just doing the Chinese a big favor (until climate change destroys their country, along with the rest of the world) helping them escape costly action, while giving them a hand with stealth political work. For more detail on Chinese climate change policy, see our website.
We don’t have time for dogma. All hands must join together at Cancun, even those of enemies, else we are fried.
Adam Zemans, Founder and Executive Director, Environment Las Americas/Bolivia