Bangkok Climate Change Meeting Aims For Draft Deal For Copenhagen
Published on 28 September 2009 @ 6:37 pm
By Sinfah Tunsarawuth for Intellectual Property Watch
BANGKOK – Government officials and private stakeholders were urged Monday to strike differences from the 280 pages of negotiating text in preparing a draft that could become a global agreement on climate change in December 2009.
Anders Turesson, representative of the Swedish presidency of the European Union, told a press conference that despite some headway made recently by a series of meetings, “we notice that the negotiation process is facing serious problems and serious difficulties.” He said the current negotiation text is “excessive and unmanageable”.
Connie Hedegaard, minister of climate and energy of Denmark, said in her opening remarks on Monday that delegates in the Bangkok meeting had to lay the foundation for cabinet ministers to make decisions at the planned Copenhagen meeting in December. For the text of the planned agreement, she said: “Bearing this in mind; my message to you is still: keep it simple, keep it political and keep in short.”
The 28 September – 9 October meeting in Bangkok, participated by more than 4,000 delegates from 177 countries, is part of a series of major negotiating sessions under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) leading up to the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen in December, the deadline that has been set for reaching a global climate change agreement after two years of negotiations.
Many delegates to the meeting said that remaining issues are greater emission cut of greenhouse gases by developed countries, the commitment by developing countries to contribute to the emission cut, and the finance and technology transfer needed by the developing countries to help them make the adaptation.
While many developed nations have set targets for greenhouse gas emissions cuts, the developing world has yet come up with any plan of their contribution to the prevention of global warming reaching the dangerous levels, Turesson said at the press conference.
Artur Runge-Metzger of the European Commission said at the same press conference that developing countries are not demanded to actually reduce their emission as this might hurt their economic growth and efforts to eradicate poverty, but they are asked to cut the growth of emissions as developing countries are producing greenhouse gases at a rapidly growing rate. China, for example, has now become the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter, surpassing the United States, he said.
The EU said in a statement that European nations have committed “unconditionally” to cut their emissions to at least 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, and have committed to scale up their emissions cut to 30 percent provided “other industrialised countries agree to make comparable reductions and economically more advanced developing countries contribute adequately to a global deal.” Other delegates said the EU has so far made the largest pledge in terms of emission cut.
Yvo de Boer, UNFCCC executive secretary, said all major industrialised nations have set initial targets for their emissions cut, but it did not add up to what it needs to avoid the rise of the globe’s temperature to 2 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial temperature.
Scientists have pointed out that in avoiding that temperature rise, all industrialised nations need to cut their greenhouse gas emission by 25 percent to 40 percent below 1990 levels.
De Boer said what he would like to see at the end of Bangkok meeting is the emissions cut plan, plans by developing countries on adaptation programs and the financial support they need for these programmes, and the practical plan for technology transfer to developing nations.
It is not clear when IP issues will be addressed in Bangkok. There are several proposals in the text related to technology transfer and patenting of green technology (IPW, Environment, 16 September 2009). IP issues will come up under the negotiations of the ad-hoc working group on long-term cooperative action, under the agenda item on technology development and transfer, currently on the agenda as Item 3.
Some other delegates said as developing countries have yet come up with their plans, the developed nations could not determine the amount of funding needed to support their efforts.
The EU said in the statement it sees as essential for the draft agreement to address, among other things, binding emission reductions by all industrialised countries based on comparable efforts, appropriate action by developing countries to limit emissions, a framework for action on adaptation to climate change, and a comprehensive package on technology cooperation and funding to accelerate development of a low-carbon global economy.
However, some major developing countries – such as China, India and Brazil – have recently made commitment to deal with global warming, which was welcomed by the United States government, Jonathan Pershing, deputy special envoy for climate change of the US Department of State, told another press conference. He said the US itself announced 10 days ago new carbon dioxide emission standards for cars and trucks in the US, which would save 950 million tons of carbon dioxide.
Pershing said though the US government is not a party to the Kyoto Protocol, it wants to be part of the new agreement expected at Copenhagen and has been actively working with other countries to achieve that.
He said what the US is working on domestically to cut emissions is comparable to what the EU has committed to do.
Kaitlin Mara contributed to this report.
Sinfah Tunsarawuth may be reached at info@ip-watch.ch.
Categories: News, Education/ R&D/ Innovation, English, Environment, Human Rights, Patent Policy, Technical Cooperation/ Technology Transfer, United Nations
28 September 2009 at 8:16 pm
“A Global Green New Deal”
1. The Need For Change In Energy Platform :
A. About two thirds of deficit in the U.S. accrue from oil import.
B. Over $1 trillion and 4,346 dead as the Iraq war is winding down. By converting this excessive military budget into a constructive foundation of 21st energy and health care, world can live in harmony for good.
C. Tremendous trade deficit with China. The most expensive premiums of health care driving buyers into Wal-Mart .
2. The Cost Of Inaction :
As with “Inaction” cost, $9trillion over the next decade in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, supposedly the same is of inaction on the 21st energy bill to determine war & peace, catastrophe & prosperity.
In this economy, fuel price is hovering around $65 to $75 a barrel, which underscores the actual value might be much the same as $145 per barrel of the peak price. Last year, the petrol price jumped from about $60 to $145 per barrel in quite a short period.
I think energy market also needs competition between sustainable and conventional one to bend the cost curve, otherwise, the global economy stays flat for some time and is plummeting into another great depression as the international stimulus package can’t last long.
3. The Root Of Recession :
My sense is that this great recession is ascribed to excessively higher price of petrol in recent years. This price spelled about higher consumer prices and the continued hike in mortgage rates as a way to slow inflation, which wound up with crash in financial and construction markets. In an attempt to circumvent the censure of two petrol wars, the mainstream economists put focus on the both markets, and it postponed the prompt action on the long and long overdue contemporary energy needs.
Looking to worthless, painful and wasteful oil wars, to waste time bickering over meaningless things and drag feet on a defining energy bill are sure to shake the embryonic effect of stimulus package that is an interim measure for build-out of a new foundation.
As the overall oil reserve in Middle East, let alone the rest of oil-producing areas, is on the decline more than known, the region blessed with affluent sun rays also needs to lay a new groundwork, particularly in this context UAE is beginning to concentrate on future energy and Iranian EV is rolling out recently, the countries in the region will never stand still on the occupation, that means no matter what the result is, the repetitious mistake at the cost of invaluable lives and gigantic spending will end up with an irreversible tragedy later on.
4. Hope For Better Change & Job Boost :
As a major driver, IT industry stalled and stranded in a game industry for the lack of 21st energy policy over the stretch of two wars needs to expand into the all but indefinite energy, medical, and academic industry where the investors are eagerly waiting for policy-makers to act now, which I guess is why the far-reaching and long overdue health care and 21st energy bill have come into focus.
Thankfully and interestingly enough, 100s of Companies (with $13 Trillion) Are Demanding Strong Climate Deal in Copenhagen just like environmental activists, a coalition of more than 500 Global Businesses is also demanding ambitious new climate deal, and the report by Blair and the Climate Group, a London-based nonprofit organization, found a climate-change accord among all countries would spur economic growth and create as many as 10 million jobs by 2020.
Beyond the report, according to a new report published by the Global Climate Network of think tanks, “A Global Green New Deal” could create tens of millions of new jobs by agreeing to invest in low carbon technologies.
This research shows that while jobs will be lost in conventional, carbon-intensive sectors, more jobs will be created than lost provided that policies to promote sustainable industry are ambitious enough and it is one of the most effective means of handling rising unemployment.
It concludes that measures to creating markets for low carbon technologies will serve the dual purpose of creating extra jobs in renewable energy, information technology and service sectors, as well as helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
5. Funding For Hopeful Change :
A. Converting the excessive and destructive military budget into constructive financing for the 21st energy.
B. Phasing out subsidies for carbon-intensive industries, and taxing carbon emissions.
C. For the most part, the poor regions ranging from Africa to South Asia severely affected by climate change are abundant in sun rays, and the compensation by way of placement of large solar plants as well as the other measures could generate enormous effects.
D. Cost considerably less than 1% of GDP per year in the long term, or up to $175 per household in 2020. (That’s about the cost of one postage stamp per household per day.)
Currently, a 21st energy bill has passed the House and is making its way through Senate. According to CBO, this bill would trim budget deficit by $24.4 billion of a net gain.
6. Promising And Enough Tech In The Work :
In brief, only technology and innovation can meet the challenge, and the world of science has potential enough to get past this turbulence and for all over the globe to go along in harmony. Recently, GM and Reva that achieved a fantastic innovation of “wireless electricity”/ “instant remote recharge” have joined hands to develop Electric Vehicles.
In the near term, improving energy efficiency needs some up-front investments, though, in the long term, it promises much better future, and the current tech is sure to do better enough.
Thank You !