Macam Macam Ada Malaysia: Broader pact

L I F E S T Y L E

Tuesday December 11, 2007

Broader pact

THESE issues are on the table at Bali:

Tightening the targets

Greenhouse gas emissions have continued to rise despite countries’ attempts to meet their Kyoto targets. And current Kyoto targets have been criticised as being too-little too-late. The European Union says an average temperature increase of no more than 2°C above preindustrial levels should be considered the limit. Beyond this, the world is at risk from dangerous climate change.

Bringing in developing countries

Drawing in developing countries excluded from Kyoto’s first round, such as China, the world’s second biggest carbon emitter, will be crucial if the new agreement is to avoid criticisms of inequity that have dogged Kyoto.

Carbon forestry

More carbon is emitted from deforestation than the global transport sector, but forests are not factored into Kyoto.

Forestrich

developing countries such as Indonesia are lobbying to monetise the “avoided carbon emissions” their forest carbon stores represent. Paying poor countries to protect mature trees prevents carbon emissions while offsetting the financial losses involved in passing up lucrative forest clearances for timber and plantation concessions, supporters of schemes such as Reduced Emissions from Deforestation in Developing Countries (REDD) say.

Technology transfers

Combating climate change through the use of cleaner, more energy-efficient technologies has high-level backers on both sides of the rich-poor divide that has threatened to derail global responses to climate change. An Inter- Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report said US$20 trillion (RM70 trillion) must be spent by 2030 on upgrading the world’s energy infrastructure to reduce emissions.

While many are keen to push for such transfers, Kyoto’s subsidised technology transfers from developed to developing world, via the Clean Development Mechanism, have attracted criticism for focusing especially on a narrow range of lucrative projects in China, and elsewhere for delivering emissions cuts against rather hypothetical baselines.

Roping in other pollution sources

Kyoto’s first phase, which ends in 2012, focuses mainly on controlling pollution from industrial sources. At Bali, European negotiators are expected to push for emissions from the global aviation and shipping industries to be included in a successor pact. They argue fast-rising emissions from these sectors could cancel out savings made elsewhere if they are not addressed. – Reuters

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