Figueres urges smaller steps at UN climate talks
In a major deviation from past practise, Costa Rica’s Christiana Figueres, who is heading the United Nations climate talks, has demanded that nations strive to take small steps to achieve their goals rather than attempt an all-encompassing deal to stop global warming. This statement is bound to have strong repercussions in the ongoing five-day summit, especially since the developing countries feel the need for developed nations to adhere to a stricter regime.
Ms Figures, who took over from Yvo de Boer on July 8, believes that the task ahead is extremely urgent given that nations have unanimously agreed to contain the global average temperature rise by two degrees Celsius.
Ms Figueres has from the start been emphasising that the planet is running out of time and therefore decisions need to be taken in an incremental manner, especially since countries are debating future greenhouse cuts under the Kyoto Protocol which is set to expire in 2012. While the UN has calculated that pledges amount to a cut of 12 to 19 per cent from 1990 levels, sources within the organisation admit they are much short of the 25 to 40 per cent cut needed to meet this two degree reduction.
The European Union is willing to make a major reduction pledge of up to 30 per cent if the US is willing to pull up its socks. Unfortunately, the US continues to remain the major obstacle with President Obama having failed to pass domestic legislation to ensure these major cuts.
India’s delegation, led by additional secretary J.M. Mauser and R.R. Rashmi, joint secretary from the ministry of environment & forests, will, sources indicate, reflect on India’s hardening climate change stance three months ahead of the key meeting in Mexico.
India is empahsising the need to go back to the two primary forums created at Bali in 2007 under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. By taking such a stand, India’s position is strongly contrasting with that of the US.
India has repeatedly stated that the Copenhagen Accord is not to be treated as the basis of a negotiating text unless it is agreed and adopted by all the parties and that it should be used to facilitate the formal UN talks under the Kyoto Protocol. India has also been stressing that the “per capita accumulative emissions” should be the basis for sharing of the carbon space and this principle should be embedded in the reference to the global cap on emissions.
The US, in its submission to the UN, disregards the Kyoto Protocol.
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