Richard Ingham Yahoo News 9 Dec 09;
COPENHAGEN (AFP) – The first cracks appeared among developing countries at the UN climate talks on Wednesday, revealing divisions between emerging giants and nations most exposed to the ravages of global warming.
Tensions surfaced despite efforts to restore calm to the 12-day negotiations after a row over an early draft text proposed by Denmark, the conference's chairman.
The tiny Pacific island nation of Tuvalu drove a wedge in the bloc of developing nations by calling for discussions on an amendment to the Kyoto Protocol.
For the first time, it would require China, India and other fast-growing high-population nations to take on legally-binding commitments to slash CO2 pollution after 2013.
The move was swiftly opposed by the big developing countries, ripping open a faultline within the so-called G-77 plus China bloc of 130 nations.
Until now, the group has stood by a diplomatic axiom that has prevailed since the UN climate convention came into being in 1992: rich countries caused global warming, and it was their responsibility to fix it.
According to this stance, only rich nations should be required to sign up to legally-binding emissions curbs under Kyoto.
But small island states and least developed countries -- which supported Tuvalu's move -- have become increasingly worried that such an approach will not rein in a dangerous surge of emissions in the future.
This pollution will come not from the industrialised world but from the high-population economies of China, India and Brazil.
Taukiei Kitara, head of Tuvalu's delegation, told AFP that the proposed constraints "would mostly remain on developed countries but also, partly, on big developing economies as well."
Kitara acknowledged that the proposal marked the first serious breach in a hitherto united front.
"We know the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol is not complete and we want to create an impulse for a stronger commitment," Kitara said, referring to the landmark treaty that, under its present commitment period, imposes emissions cuts on rich nations up to 2012. Related article: Sweden announces climate aid to poor countries
The 42-member Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), including Tuvalu, and the bloc of mainly African Least Developed Countries, have rejected the widely held goal of keeping global temperatures from rising more than 2.0 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) as inadequate.
Only a cap of 1.5 C (2.7 F) compared to pre-industrial times would give these nations a chance of fighting off rising seas or crippling drought, they say.
The Copenhagen conference is taking place under the 194-nation UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
If all goes well, more than 110 leaders from around the world, including US President Barack Obama, Premier Wen Jiabao of China, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and leaders of the European Union (EU), will seal a historic deal at the climax on December 18.
A framework accord would spell out national pledges for curbing heat-trapping carbon emissions and pump hundreds of billions of dollars in aid to poor countries, providing them with newer technology and the means to toughen their defences against the impact of climate change.
Further talks would be needed, probably throughout 2010, to fill in the details of the skeletal agreement.
Negotiators had sought to restore calm after a row on Tuesday over a leaked 11-day-old early text, proposed by Denmark, that apparently sought to sound out opinion amongst a select number of countries.
The G77 lashed it as an attempted stitch-up that was skewed in favour of rich nations.
But UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer insisted the draft was out of date and had no chance of being endorsed as the final version.
Many delegates expressed exasperation over the row, which they described as bogus or a distraction from the negotiations themselves.
Four Nations Outline "Green Fund" Plan For U.N. Deal
PlanetArk 10 Dec 09;
COPENHAGEN - Four nations proposed guiding principles for "green funds" on Wednesday, hoping to end deadlock at U.N. talks on ways to manage billions of dollars to help the poor cope with global warming.
"Financing will need to be scaled up significantly and urgently, starting fast and rising over time," Britain, Australia, Mexico and Norway said in a joint submission to the December 7-18 meeting in Copenhagen on a new U.N. climate pact.
They said that at least 50 percent of any public finance should go to helping developing countries adapt to warming such as droughts, floods or rising sea levels, along with funds to help curb rising emissions.
But a document by the four nations did not set any figure for total funds to help developing nations. The United Nations says that it wants $10 billion a year for 2010-12 to help kick-start a deal with far more cash toward 2020.
It estimates that the total bill for fighting global warming may reach $300 billion a year in the long run, such as shifting away from fossil fuels toward green energies such as wind or solar power.
"We need predictable long-term funding," said Hanne Bjursrom, a Norwegian cabinet minister who heads the Norwegian delegation. "But this isn't a document that says 'this and this is how it should be done'."
She said the paper marked progress because it was proposed by three developed nations with Mexico, one of the richest nations among developing nations.
COSTS, EMISSIONS
Disputes over who should pay the costs are one of the main causes of friction at the U.N. talks, along with splits about how far developed nations should cut emissions by 2020. Poor nations want much deeper cuts than those on offer.
The document noted that Mexico has in the past suggested that all countries should pay into a fund that would be raised based on factors including gross domestic product, population, and use of carbon dioxide.
The document also mentioned a Norwegian proposal that some carbon emission allowances could be auctioned off to raise cash.
It said that there was an "emerging consensus" that any funds should be overseen by a high-level board with equal representation of poor and rich nations.
Developing countries accuse the rich of seeking to tie too many strings onto handouts. Rich nations want to ensure they have good oversight of donor funds.
(Editing by Dominic Evans)
