Limited progress at UN climate talks in Bonn threatens success in Copenhagen
Peta Hodge
17th August 2009
A senior UN official has expressed disappointment at the amount of progress made at the UN climate talks that took place in Bonn last week – warning that negotiations must pick up speed if a new treaty on greenhouse gas emissions is to be agreed in Copenhagen in December.
Although some advances were made regarding the negotiating text, Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) described this progress as “limited”.
He expressed concern that with only two more conferences, totaling 15 days, scheduled before the start of the crucial meeting in the Danish capital, time is running out to resolve substantive issues – like how to translate mid-term emission reduction pledges by wealthier nations for 2020 into legally-binding targets.
At the start of the meeting in Bonn last week, new data was issued showing 39 industrialised nations (excluding the US) are planning to cut greenhouse gas emissions by between 15 and 21 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020. De Boer described these targets as “miles away” from what is required to meet the goal to cut emissions by 80 percent by 2050 which was set by the G8 leaders last month.
“Industrialised countries need to show a greater level of ambition in agreeing to meaningful mid-term emission reduction targets,” said de Boer. “The present level of ambition can be raised domestically and by making use of international cooperation.”
Mike Childs, head of climate change at environmental campaign group Friends of the Earth also attacked the lack of ambition shown by the developed countries in Bonn last week. "Rich countries are once again pushing the con of carbon offsetting at UN climate change talks – which means avoiding real action through dodgy accounting – and putting pitifully inadequate targets on the table,” he said.
Another major question last week’s meeting failed to answer is the level of help the industrialised world will provide to developing nations to help them ‘green’ their growth and adapt to the impacts of global warming.
De Boer has called for a “clear indication” from the developed nations on the levels of financing and technology they will provide.
Environmental action group WWF has also expressed disappointment that more progress wasn’t made on this issue. “We would have liked the Parties of the UNFCCC to use the opportunity and take initiative. But delegates spent too much time arguing over procedures and technicalities,” said Kim Carstensen, the head of WWF Global Climate Initiative. “This is not the way overcome mistrust between rich and poor nations.”
WWF blames the lack of progress on “political deadlock” and has called on political leaders to intervene and unblock the process.
“If the meetings of the General Assembly, the Major Economies Forum and the G20 in September are successful in building the political momentum needed, the UN negotiations can progress much faster at the next meeting in October in Bangkok,” said Carstensen.
Specifically, WWF is calling for the G20 meeting in late September to make a commitment mobilising resources of (US dollars) $160 billion (£98 billion) a year to support any deal agreed in Copenhagen.
“Without commitments on funding, it is impossible to design a solid climate agreement. It is like asking a manager to run a company without telling him what his budget is,” said Carstensen.
The new treaty on greenhouse gas emissions, set to be agreed in Copenhagen in December, will replace the Kyoto Protocol, the first commitment period for which ends in 2012.