Times of India , Friday, April 04, 2008

Correspondent : Staff Reporter

BANGKOK: More than 160 nations were trying on Friday to clear the first hurdle in drafting an ambitious new treaty on global warming despite a yawning gap in the stances of rich and poor countries. The five-day talks in Bangkok were winding up with negotiators setting a plan for how to reach UN-backed goal of reaching a new global treaty by the end of 2009. It comes amid growing global awareness of the dangers of climate change, which UN scientists warn could put millions of people at risk within the century unless action is taken. But there are strong disagreements, with developing nations demanding that rich countries provide them with financial support and make steeper cuts in greenhouse gas emissions blamed for warming. "What is lacking here is a sense of urgency. We are all victims of climate change," said Marcelo Furtado of Greenpeace Brazil. The meeting is the first since a major conference in December in Bali, Indonesia, that set negotiations on what to do after rich countries' commitments under the Kyoto Protocol end in 2012. In one concern for environmentalists, a draft text notes that aviation and shipping -- not covered by Kyoto -- are growing causes of emissions but makes no recommendation on whether the sector should be included in the next deal. A separate draft text sets four meetings next year until a final deal is reached in late 2009 in Copenhagen. "The text is aimed at being palatable to all parties," said Alden Meyer, strategy director for the Union of Concerned Scientists, a US pressure group, and a veteran watcher of environmental negotiations. He said each side was staking out its position in Bangkok. "They're setting the table for a meal and they haven't really digged in," he said. "That means there's no food fight, but that will come down the road when it gets serious." Nearly all delegates agree that the toughest issue -- how much to slash gas emissions after 2012 -- will have to wait until after the United States has a new president in January. All three major candidates for the presidency have pledged tougher action on global warming than Bush. He backed out of Kyoto as one of his first acts in office, arguing it was too costly for the world's largest economy. "I think people are feeling optimistic that the next administration is going to engage in a different way than Bush has," Meyer said. The European Union has proposed that rich nations slash gas emissions by 25 to 40 per cent by 2020 from 1990 levels. The United States has not backed a clear figure and has insisted along with several allies that developing countries make clear commitments in the next phase. Another potential point of contention is the so-called "sectoral approach." Japan, which is far behind in meeting its Kyoto obligations, has called for each key industrial sector to be judged separately on eco-friendliness. Developing nations counter that this simply makes Kyoto goals easier for rich countries to meet. The draft text states that each party can set its own national goals but that it should not substitute for Kyoto targets. Developing countries are pressing for funding to help them cope with climate change to be channeled through the United Nations. Chief US negotiator Harlan Watson argued that such large donations from rich countries' governments were unrealistic and that the private sector was better suited. "Our taxpayers in particular have a peculiarity of occasionally wanting to attach strings to how their money is spent," Watson said late on Thursday. "That may be unique, but that's a political reality."

SOURCE : Times of India, Friday, 04 April 2008