Japan denies extending Kyoto after 2012
Japan has made clear to the climate change meeting in Cancun that it does not stand in favour of extending the Kyoto Protocol after its deadline in 2012, casting doubts on the real chances to reach a unilateral agreement.
This claim is set to undermine the whole possibility of a renewed protocol on climate, particularly from developing countries that are looking forward to an extended deal, with fixed targets to cut emission levels.
Talking to the summit members gathered in Cancun, Mexico, who are working to an agreement to rectify the Kyoto Protocol after 2012, the Japanese government said its country will not back its extension. In a short statement, the climate negotiator, Jun Aruma, said: “Japan will not set its own objectives within the Kyoto Protocol at any condition and under any circumstances.”
The announcement stirred criticism from developing countries and environmentalist groups.
Mohamed Adow, senior climate advisor for Christian Aid, said Japan’s decision “disrespects the people most vulnerable to climate change” and could harm “livelihoods of millions across the world”.
Luis Alfonso de Alba, the Mexican negotiator, said in a press conference: “The great challenge is not to confirm the actions that have been taken by developed countries, but to find a way to increase [those actions].
“In Cancun we have at least to reach a bigger agreement on emission cuts than what many nations have already agreed to, and 18-19% of emissions at a global level.”
A year after Copenhagen, the new climate summit is being hosted in Cancun until December 10. It is the sixteenth time the UN climate change body has met, and the sixth meeting for the party conference which signed the Kyoto protocol.
The meeting started among a heated atmosphere, with Japan, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka putting very strict requests on the table.
At the start of the convention, Japan said it would consider the possibility of a renewed Kyoto agreement only if it would encompass the conditions outlined in the AGW-LCA deal – which asks for a much wider involvement of the main developing countries, namely China and India, and the US.
If the deal would not see the light after Cancun, Japan may veto the continuation of the Kyoto Protocol, sabotaging the entire meeting. In fact, all 194 countries of the UN climate body need to agree to the implementation of a new Kyoto protocol, beyond its current deadline.
From its part, Saudi Arabia asked fore more support, both financial and technological, to developing countries to meet their targets.
Sri Lanka, which may sound like a small player but is said by experts to be highly influenced by China and India, is calling for higher targets to be set for the developed countries.
With all these requests on the table, the real chance for the meeting to reach a unilateral consensus to renew the Kyoto Protocol and agree on emission cuts targets seems gloomy.
There are also fears that the representatives of the wealthiest countries may not show up in Cancun until the very last days, therefore making it almost impossible to pull out a deal – which would need long negotiations. Many developed countries are more inclined to see the climate change talks being held at the G20 meetings, although that would mean practically leaving out the developing countries from the decision making.
The Kyoto Protocol was firstly signed by 16 countries in 1992, in the Japanese city. The initial 16 were among the biggest societies emitting gases likely to alter the planet’s climate. The protocol aimed at cutting the waste levels of 5% (on the 1992 levels) by 2012.
The US has always refused to sign the deal, despite being one of the major polluting countries in the world.
(Read the full article on The Fresh Outlook)
01.12.2010
This claim is set to undermine the whole possibility of a renewed protocol on climate, particularly from developing countries that are looking forward to an extended deal, with fixed targets to cut emission levels.
Talking to the summit members gathered in Cancun, Mexico, who are working to an agreement to rectify the Kyoto Protocol after 2012, the Japanese government said its country will not back its extension. In a short statement, the climate negotiator, Jun Aruma, said: “Japan will not set its own objectives within the Kyoto Protocol at any condition and under any circumstances.”
The announcement stirred criticism from developing countries and environmentalist groups.
Mohamed Adow, senior climate advisor for Christian Aid, said Japan’s decision “disrespects the people most vulnerable to climate change” and could harm “livelihoods of millions across the world”.
Luis Alfonso de Alba, the Mexican negotiator, said in a press conference: “The great challenge is not to confirm the actions that have been taken by developed countries, but to find a way to increase [those actions].
“In Cancun we have at least to reach a bigger agreement on emission cuts than what many nations have already agreed to, and 18-19% of emissions at a global level.”
A year after Copenhagen, the new climate summit is being hosted in Cancun until December 10. It is the sixteenth time the UN climate change body has met, and the sixth meeting for the party conference which signed the Kyoto protocol.
The meeting started among a heated atmosphere, with Japan, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka putting very strict requests on the table.
At the start of the convention, Japan said it would consider the possibility of a renewed Kyoto agreement only if it would encompass the conditions outlined in the AGW-LCA deal – which asks for a much wider involvement of the main developing countries, namely China and India, and the US.
If the deal would not see the light after Cancun, Japan may veto the continuation of the Kyoto Protocol, sabotaging the entire meeting. In fact, all 194 countries of the UN climate body need to agree to the implementation of a new Kyoto protocol, beyond its current deadline.
From its part, Saudi Arabia asked fore more support, both financial and technological, to developing countries to meet their targets.
Sri Lanka, which may sound like a small player but is said by experts to be highly influenced by China and India, is calling for higher targets to be set for the developed countries.
With all these requests on the table, the real chance for the meeting to reach a unilateral consensus to renew the Kyoto Protocol and agree on emission cuts targets seems gloomy.
There are also fears that the representatives of the wealthiest countries may not show up in Cancun until the very last days, therefore making it almost impossible to pull out a deal – which would need long negotiations. Many developed countries are more inclined to see the climate change talks being held at the G20 meetings, although that would mean practically leaving out the developing countries from the decision making.
The Kyoto Protocol was firstly signed by 16 countries in 1992, in the Japanese city. The initial 16 were among the biggest societies emitting gases likely to alter the planet’s climate. The protocol aimed at cutting the waste levels of 5% (on the 1992 levels) by 2012.
The US has always refused to sign the deal, despite being one of the major polluting countries in the world.
(Read the full article on The Fresh Outlook)
01.12.2010