China Should Agree to Binding Climate Target - Canada
Date: 13-Dec-07
Country: INDONESIA
Author: Gerard Wynn
About 190 nations are meeting in a luxury Indonesian beach resort from Dec. 3-14 to try to launch two-year negotiations on a new global climate change deal to replace or extend the Kyoto Protocol from 2013.
"If we want to take a voluntary approach for 70 percent of the world's emissions I think that's just a non-starter, it doesn't work," said John Baird, referring to major emitting nations, including big developing countries.
He told Reuters that China and India should act now to rein in their soaring greenhouse gas emissions.
Rich countries, which historically have produced the bulk of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming, are under pressure from the developing world to first commit to deep emissions cuts before asking poorer nations to follow suit.
But emissions in many developing countries are rising quickly as they try to lift millions out of poverty.
China, for example, is poised to overtake the United States as the world's number one carbon emitter, but has produced far less of the greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere, and is worried limits on fossil fuel use will harm the poor.
India is the world's no. 4 emitter of greenhouse gases that threaten to cause rising seas, more severe floods, droughts, famines and extinctions of wildlife.
The United States refuses to ratify the Kyoto Protocol because it exempts developing nations from binding emissions curbs in its first phase that ends in 2012.
Baird rejected any mention in a final Bali statement later this week of emissions reduction targets that did not refer to a global effort, dismissing goals just for industrialised nations.
Asked whether it would be alright for China to take on voluntary targets, he said: "People told me voluntary targets don't work for the developed world. If someone can explain to me how they work in the other world, I'm open to hear the argument."
SHIFTING THE PROBLEM
Baird argued that if only rich countries accepted emissions targets that would simply shift emissions somewhere else in the world, rather than cut overall global levels.
"We can close a steel mill today in Canada. But if we just import the steel from China what will we have accomplished? Absolutely nothing."
Baird repeated Canada's position that its present targets under the Kyoto Protocol were "unattainable", a failing he blamed on the preceding Liberal Party administration.
Canada has a Kyoto target to cut emissions by 6 percent below 1990 levels by 2008-12. However, Canada's emissions are now more than 30 percent above those levels.
Baird said the country wanted to discuss its possible penalty under Kyoto -- which is to take the amount by which it misses its Kyoto limit, plus 30 percent, and subtract that from any new emissions cap.
Asked whether developing countries would be happy to take part in a new treaty after Canada had failed to meet its targets in the original Protocol, Baird said:
"This is not a game. Increases in greenhouse gases are having a devastating effect on the planet, wherever you live. If we're going to accomplish anything we're going to need all the big players on board."
He said Canada planned to set up its own carbon emissions trading scheme which could link immediately with planned regional or possible federal markets in the United States, and in several years might link with an EU scheme.
(Reporting by Gerard Wynn; editing by David Fogarty)
