Negotiations on climate change under way in Bonn
The cycle of climate negotiations under way this week in Bonn is the next to last step before the Cancún Conference which should result in an international climate agreement.
This step is therefore crucial for the delegates of the 178 countries represented in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. They shoulder the heavy responsibility of "taking decisive steps in the fight against climate change", as affirmed by Christiana Figuères, the new United Nations head for "Climate".
Kyoto: 1st major success in the fight against global warming
The Kyoto Protocol, adopted in the Japanese city of the same name in 1997, is the main legal enforcement instrument available to the international community in the fight against climate change. It was ratified by 184 countries and came into effect in 2005.
The main objective defined in the protocol was a reduction in greenhouse gases by an average of five percent between 2008 and 2012. This commitment was made by 37 industrialised countries and the European Community.
Despite the enormous step forward taken with this protocol, it has two major drawbacks: it expires in 2012 and it only commits the most industrialised countries. The international community is therefore seeking a solution to the climate challenge beyond 2012 which will also involve more countries.
From Bali to Cancún, via Copenhagen
Since the Bali conference of 2007, the international community has been seeking to define a global approach for the post-Kyoto period to deal with the challenge of climate change. As part of this process, the Copenhagen Summit and the agreement signed there were important milestones.
However, a great deal more progress is still required on certain points. These include an assessment of the limitation of emissions, the issue of financing, the use of clean technologies, sustainable management of the world’s forests, etc.
As emphasised by Christiana Figuères, the time has come for the world’s governments to transform what is politically feasible into something politically irreversible.
This week’s meeting is taking place against this background and will pave the way for an agreement at the Cancún Conference.
Next step in China
The next cycle of negotiations will take place in the town of Tianjin in China, from October 4th through 9th 2010. The Cancún Conference, officially the "Conference of the Parties", will be held in Mexico from 29th November through 10th December 2010. Within this framework, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union will assume the role of coordinating the position of the Member States of the EU within the Council. The Cancún Conference is one of the priority meetings on the Belgian Presidency’s international agenda.
