Recently UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo De Boer commented that USD 10 Billion USD will cut the ice and will get through the ‚Copenhagen Deal‘. Considering the fact that Climate Change Economists through various reports have calculated approx. 150 to 200 billion USD/year, the amount is peanuts. Though the statement does mention that ‚much more needs to be done‘ but such loose statements reflects biasness of a supposedly nuetral body and thus Yvo should refrain himself from making such political motivated statements that may hamper for a ‚Global Fair Deal’…
The negotiations are at a stage where deeper cuts by Indistralised countries and appropriate amount of finance for mitigation action in developing countries can move the negotiations in desired direction. Thus the situation is very critical, at least for India that is waiting to hear on numbers on finnace from develped countries before declaring their Low Carbon Strategies (Missions !)…
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Price put on Copenhagen success
By Steven Duke
Editor, One Planet
The UN’s top climate official has said that the richest nations will have to
put $10bn „on the table“ during the Copenhagen climate change summit.
Yvo De Boer, who will lead the negotiations, said such a commitment was
necessary for their success.
He insisted the burden of climate change must be shared and that the money
would help developing countries.
Leading nations participating in the summit must, he said, sign an agreement
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Mr De Boer, head of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC), said the $10bn (£6bn) pledge would be „a good beginning“.
„(It) will allow developing countries to begin preparing national plans to
limit their own emissions, and to adapt to climate change,“ he told the BBC
World Service’s One Planet programme.
Mr De Boer was less keen to put an exact figure on the levels of emission
cuts the biggest economies should commit to.
Some scientists have called for a 25-40% reduction by 2020 – a proposal he
describes as „a good beacon to be working towards“.
As well as the hard cash and paper pledge from developed nations, success at
Copenhagen will come from one other factor, he revealed.
„If on that piece of paper, China, India, Brazil and other major developing
countries have offered national actions, that will significantly take their
emissions below business as usual… that for me will be a success.“
China leads way
Mr De Boer, who helped negotiate the Kyoto Protocol on tackling greenhouse
gases in 1997, admitted the recent financial turmoil had made his job more
difficult as governments focus on „budget deficits and the banks they’ve
just bailed out“.
But he praised some countries for seeking to turn the troubles to their –
and the environment’s – advantage.
„A number of countries – with China and Korea in the lead – are seeing this
economic crisis as an opportunity to turn a corner.
„Those countries are in a serious way making investments in renewable
sources of energy; modernising their power sector; coming up with different
types of vehicles that are more geared towards tomorrow’s needs than
yesterday’s.“
Despite his belief that some countries are seeing the economic potential of
tackling climate change, Mr De Boer said he recognised that getting 192
nations – from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe – to agree on the issue was „a bit
like herding cats“.
„You can take one of two approaches, you can either try and herd them from
behind with a stick, which generally has them shooting off in different
directions, or you can walk in front holding a tasty fish and that will get
them to follow you more willingly,“ he said.
You can hear the full interview with Yvo De Boer on the 23 July edition of
the One Planet programme on the BBC World Service.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/8163456.stm
Published: 2009/07/22 16:07:29 GMT
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