ENVIRONMENT: Pressure Builds on Developing Nations at Kyoto Talks

By Suvendrini Kakuchi Reprint | | Print |

Suvendrini Kakuchi

KYOTO, Dec 3 1997 (IPS) - Developing countries are keeping up the pressure on industrialised nations to set targets for reducing greenhouse gases, but also realise that sooner or later they need to show they are doing their bit against global warming as well.

Three days into talks toward a global action plan on climate change, delegates from 167 countries continued closed-door meetings to bridge the North-South divide that threatens the success of the Kyoto meetings.

Developing countries are standing pat on their position that the deepest, binding commitments on reduction of greenhouse gases must from the industrialised world, including the United States, which is the world’s leading polluter.

Only when that is achieved can discussions can proceed to what measures developing countries can undertake to avert global warming, they say.

But developments in the last few days — including positions on targets just proposed by other industrialised countries — are increasing the pressure on developing countries to spell out some steps of their own to curb global warming.

Conference officials say this may come in the form of voluntary, non-legally binding goals that developing countries may state as part of a global accord here. These nations, however, are not required to make binding commitments in Kyoto, which is meant to set targets for industrialised countries.

So far, Canada, which until the last moment had held off proposing a target for reducing greenhouse gases, has said it would go along with a 5 percent reduction below 1990 levels by 2010. New Zealand has aired a similar formula.

Sensing headway in negotiations on numerical targets, Japan, as host of the conference, has been looking for ways to sweeten the terms of a world agreement for developing countries.

It put forward a pledge to grant concessional loans to developing nations — at 0.75 percent interest and 40-year repayment periods — to promote cooperation in energy-saving technologies, new and renewable energy sources and forest conservation.

“It is important that the EU and the United States support Japan’s new Kyoto initiatives that propose comprehensive assistance to developing countries towards reducing greenhouse gasses,” said Toshiaki Watanabe, chief spokesman for the Japanese delegation.

The EU, which supports a flat 15 percent cut in emissions of industrialised countries and non-binding targets for developing nations, is trying to find middle ground between the U.S. and the developing world.

The U.S., which is sending Vice President Al Gore to the high- level portion of the talks next week, has said it would accept different targets for different industrialised nations.

Asked if developing nations see room for compromise, Indian official Vijay Sharma said: “Yes, a compromise is vital. But nothing must go against the principle of poverty eradication which is geared towards reducing poverty in developing countries.”

Thus, apart from urging industrialised nations to set targets, developing countries are discussing other ways to make sure they comply with those goals.

At the 1992 Earth Summit in Brazil, 34 industrialised nations said they would reduce greenhouse emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000. Almost all have them are falling short of this pledge, and their carbon dioxide emissions have grown by an average of 8 to 9 percent since 1990.

This time, developing countries say they want to ensure that targets are met and that those that fail face penalties.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Group of 77 bloc of developing countries and China proposed the creation of a “clean development fund” to ensure that rich countries are held to their promises and that there are enough funds for clean energy projects in the developing economies.

The fund seeks to impose a tax on industrialised nations that fail to meet their reduction targets. Proceeds would be used to fund environmental projects.

Tanzania’s Marc Mwandosya, speaking for the G-77 and China, explained the principles that govern the stance of developing countries.

He said: “Countries historically responsible for greenhouse emissions and countries that are capable and have the ability to reduce and achieve a reduction target must make commitments. It is not fair to ask too much from developing countries, the most vulnerable in the conference.”

European Union spokesman Jorgen Henningsen says the EU is looking into the mechanisms involved in the ‘clean development fund. “There has to be a careful review to see what flexibility the plan holds,” he said. “The fund could work in the field of reducing emissions trading, a major concern in this conference.”

Henningsen was referring to varying perceptions of a proposal to accept emissions trading as a way of meeting greenhouse targets. Under the concept, efficient industries would be able to ‘sell’ their pollution cuts to allow others to go on polluting.

There is also talk of other formulas, such as allowing rich countries to earn credits by extending technological help on cleaner fuel to developing countries.

Calls are also being aired to accept development of “sinks” that absorb carbon dioxide — mostly through forests found in developing nations — as a means of of meeting greenhouse gas targets.

But these concepts are far from accepted, given fears that the idea of carbon sinks may undercut the principle of taking action to cut carbon emissions at home.