EU leaders gathered in Brussels agreed on funding to help poor countries cope with climate change.
Two titans of the biggest greenhouse polluters are now in midst of exchanging barbs at CoP 15 Copenhagen week proving their sincerity of their efforts to mend climate change.
After two days of intense negotiations,bargaing ,the deliberations on fifth day day of COP 15 meet reached to a text for circulation at large for further contemplation,the working group has prepared the draft.
African Union climate negotiator Meles Zenawi says the main obstacle for a climate deal is whether or not rich countries can come up with sufficient funding for developing countries.
EU leaders ended a Brussels summit with a three-year deal to pay 7.2bn euros or £6.5bn $10.6bn to help poorer nations cope with climate change.The 7.2bn euros is Europe’s contribution to a proposed package of $10bn (7bn euros) a year designed to help Africa, island nations and other vulnerable states cope with climate change from next January until 2012.
Bruno Tseliso Sekoli, chairman of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) bloc, told media EU pledge “cannot be enough for the purpose of meeting the requirements of the LDCs”.”Any money that would flow from the developed to developing worlds would be welcome but these numbers are very, very low,” he said. Dessima Williams, chairwoman of the Alliance of Small Island States (Aosis), said even the global sum on the table at Copenhagen was not enough.
“We just had a (Commonwealth) meeting in Trinidad where the figure of $10bn per year was put on the table and that was woefully inadequate,” she said.”One cannot do sustainable development - making the transformations in energy for example - with such a small pot of money.” Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister He Yafei was also sceptical.“It will be relatively easy for developed countries to come up with a number for the short term for three years,” he said. “But what shall we do after three years?”
Some aid groups said the EU pledges included funds from existing budgets.
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose nation held the rotating EU presidency during the summit, acknowledged that the pledges were “a combination of new and old resources”.”Almost all of the money is likely to be simply a relabelling of existing aid commitments,” said Anne-Catherine Claude, of ActionAid.”Many EU members have a track record of repackaging or re-announcing existing aid commitments. This appears to be the case here too,” she added.
A key working group under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) came up with a six-page text Friday. The draft may form the core of a new global agreement to combat climate change beyond 2012, when the present framework, the Kyoto Protocol, expires. However, most figures in the text are shown in brackets – meaning that there is not yet agreement on these specifics. Most importantly, the draft states that emissions should be halved worldwide by 2050 compared to 1990 levels, but it also suggests 80 percent and 95 percent reductions by that year as possible alternative options.
The draft is produced by Michael Zammit Cutajar, Chair of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-Term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA).Even the core goal of the deal is in brackets. Throughout 2009, a number of scientific and political conferences have called for global warming to be kept below two degrees Celsius. Still, the new draft mentions 1.5 degrees Celsius as a possible alternative goal.
Besides the ultimate target of cutting emissions by 50 percent (or 80 percent, or 95 percent respectively) by 2050, the paper also puts forth an interim target by 2020 to be set. For emissions generated by developed nations, a target of 75 percent in reductions (or more – ranging up to 95 percent) is suggested. As for developing countries, the text calls for “substantial deviations” from present growth rates in emissions.
Comments from climate groups vary: “There are many holes - the text displays diversions. Still it (the draft) clearly shows that it is possible to reach a deal. The holes need to be filled through political will and specific political commitments. We still do not know how much money will be paid and by whom,” Kim Carstensen, head of global conservation organisation WWF’s climate campaign, tells Danish daily Berlingske.
More critical is Erwin Jackson of the Australian Climate Institute: “It would be a huge backwards step if this is adopted. There is no mandate for a legally binding treaty that would take in the US or the big developing countries like China and India,” Erwin Jackson tells The Sydney Morning Herald.
China finds itself with the developing nations in the climate talks. The Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei says that the US chief negotiator either lacks common sense or is “extremely irresponsible ”Lumumba Stanislaus-Kaw Di-Aping, representing the G77 bloc of developing nations and China at the Copenhagen talks, accused EU leaders of acting like “climate sceptics”.”They are essentially saying that the problem does not exist,” he told a news conference.
Stern said that when it comes to financing to help poor countries deal with climate change, the US doesn't consider China one of the neediest countries.
"I don't envision public funds — certainly not from the United States — going to China," he said on Wednesday. "China to its great credit has a dynamic economy, and sits on some two trillion dollars in reserves. So we don't think China would be the first candidate for public funding."
The Chinese official said that China wasn't asking for money, rather that the US and China had different responsibilities in dealing with global warming.
Liu Zhenmin, the deputy Chinese permanent representative to the UN, said here
“The Kyoto Protocol sets targets for developed countries to quantify their (emission) targets between 2008 until 2012,” he said. “It’s true. That’s why we need a continuation of negotiations beyond 2012. But at the same time, Kyoto Protocol also has some other provisions and the other mechanisms.”
“So as a legally binding document, the Kyoto Protocol will continue to be effective,” Liu said. “That’s why we don’t (stand) in favor of the view that Copenhagen will negotiate a legally binding document to replace Kyoto protocol. It’s a kind of a follow-up. It’s an update, a continuation of the Kyoto process.”
Ethiopian Prime Minister and African Union climate negotiator Meles Zenawi on Friday downplayed the chances of a political deal at the ongoing UN talks in Copenhagen, reports AFP.
"We know for some time already that there won't be a binding treaty signed in Copenhagen....The question is not the treaty but if we'll have a binding political agreement," Meles told reporters in Addis Ababa.
"On emissions, lots of progress has been made [at the negotiations]. My primary worry now is not about the emissions, the main issue is the funding," Meles said, warning that failure at the Danish capital "will be primarily a failure for Africa".
Developing countries seek compensation for their climate expenses from rich countries as the latter have by far emitted the most greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.
Late Thursday, Lumumba Stanislaus Di-Aping, representing 130 developing countries in the Group of 77, stormed out of a consultation meeting with UN representatives in Copenhagen; he remarked that "things are not going well" to Danish TV2 News.
According to several observers, bridging the gap between the rich and the poor world is the single most difficult task at the climate talks.
Two titans of the biggest greenhouse polluters are now in midst of exchanging barbs at CoP 15 Copenhagen week proving their sincerity of their efforts to mend climate change.
After two days of intense negotiations,bargaing ,the deliberations on fifth day day of COP 15 meet reached to a text for circulation at large for further contemplation,the working group has prepared the draft.
African Union climate negotiator Meles Zenawi says the main obstacle for a climate deal is whether or not rich countries can come up with sufficient funding for developing countries.
EU leaders ended a Brussels summit with a three-year deal to pay 7.2bn euros or £6.5bn $10.6bn to help poorer nations cope with climate change.The 7.2bn euros is Europe’s contribution to a proposed package of $10bn (7bn euros) a year designed to help Africa, island nations and other vulnerable states cope with climate change from next January until 2012.
Bruno Tseliso Sekoli, chairman of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) bloc, told media EU pledge “cannot be enough for the purpose of meeting the requirements of the LDCs”.”Any money that would flow from the developed to developing worlds would be welcome but these numbers are very, very low,” he said. Dessima Williams, chairwoman of the Alliance of Small Island States (Aosis), said even the global sum on the table at Copenhagen was not enough.
“We just had a (Commonwealth) meeting in Trinidad where the figure of $10bn per year was put on the table and that was woefully inadequate,” she said.”One cannot do sustainable development - making the transformations in energy for example - with such a small pot of money.” Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister He Yafei was also sceptical.“It will be relatively easy for developed countries to come up with a number for the short term for three years,” he said. “But what shall we do after three years?”
Some aid groups said the EU pledges included funds from existing budgets.
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose nation held the rotating EU presidency during the summit, acknowledged that the pledges were “a combination of new and old resources”.”Almost all of the money is likely to be simply a relabelling of existing aid commitments,” said Anne-Catherine Claude, of ActionAid.”Many EU members have a track record of repackaging or re-announcing existing aid commitments. This appears to be the case here too,” she added.
A key working group under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) came up with a six-page text Friday. The draft may form the core of a new global agreement to combat climate change beyond 2012, when the present framework, the Kyoto Protocol, expires. However, most figures in the text are shown in brackets – meaning that there is not yet agreement on these specifics. Most importantly, the draft states that emissions should be halved worldwide by 2050 compared to 1990 levels, but it also suggests 80 percent and 95 percent reductions by that year as possible alternative options.
The draft is produced by Michael Zammit Cutajar, Chair of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-Term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA).Even the core goal of the deal is in brackets. Throughout 2009, a number of scientific and political conferences have called for global warming to be kept below two degrees Celsius. Still, the new draft mentions 1.5 degrees Celsius as a possible alternative goal.
Besides the ultimate target of cutting emissions by 50 percent (or 80 percent, or 95 percent respectively) by 2050, the paper also puts forth an interim target by 2020 to be set. For emissions generated by developed nations, a target of 75 percent in reductions (or more – ranging up to 95 percent) is suggested. As for developing countries, the text calls for “substantial deviations” from present growth rates in emissions.
Comments from climate groups vary: “There are many holes - the text displays diversions. Still it (the draft) clearly shows that it is possible to reach a deal. The holes need to be filled through political will and specific political commitments. We still do not know how much money will be paid and by whom,” Kim Carstensen, head of global conservation organisation WWF’s climate campaign, tells Danish daily Berlingske.
More critical is Erwin Jackson of the Australian Climate Institute: “It would be a huge backwards step if this is adopted. There is no mandate for a legally binding treaty that would take in the US or the big developing countries like China and India,” Erwin Jackson tells The Sydney Morning Herald.
China finds itself with the developing nations in the climate talks. The Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei says that the US chief negotiator either lacks common sense or is “extremely irresponsible ”Lumumba Stanislaus-Kaw Di-Aping, representing the G77 bloc of developing nations and China at the Copenhagen talks, accused EU leaders of acting like “climate sceptics”.”They are essentially saying that the problem does not exist,” he told a news conference.
Stern said that when it comes to financing to help poor countries deal with climate change, the US doesn't consider China one of the neediest countries.
"I don't envision public funds — certainly not from the United States — going to China," he said on Wednesday. "China to its great credit has a dynamic economy, and sits on some two trillion dollars in reserves. So we don't think China would be the first candidate for public funding."
The Chinese official said that China wasn't asking for money, rather that the US and China had different responsibilities in dealing with global warming.
Liu Zhenmin, the deputy Chinese permanent representative to the UN, said here
“The Kyoto Protocol sets targets for developed countries to quantify their (emission) targets between 2008 until 2012,” he said. “It’s true. That’s why we need a continuation of negotiations beyond 2012. But at the same time, Kyoto Protocol also has some other provisions and the other mechanisms.”
“So as a legally binding document, the Kyoto Protocol will continue to be effective,” Liu said. “That’s why we don’t (stand) in favor of the view that Copenhagen will negotiate a legally binding document to replace Kyoto protocol. It’s a kind of a follow-up. It’s an update, a continuation of the Kyoto process.”
Ethiopian Prime Minister and African Union climate negotiator Meles Zenawi on Friday downplayed the chances of a political deal at the ongoing UN talks in Copenhagen, reports AFP.
"We know for some time already that there won't be a binding treaty signed in Copenhagen....The question is not the treaty but if we'll have a binding political agreement," Meles told reporters in Addis Ababa.
"On emissions, lots of progress has been made [at the negotiations]. My primary worry now is not about the emissions, the main issue is the funding," Meles said, warning that failure at the Danish capital "will be primarily a failure for Africa".
Developing countries seek compensation for their climate expenses from rich countries as the latter have by far emitted the most greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.
Late Thursday, Lumumba Stanislaus Di-Aping, representing 130 developing countries in the Group of 77, stormed out of a consultation meeting with UN representatives in Copenhagen; he remarked that "things are not going well" to Danish TV2 News.
According to several observers, bridging the gap between the rich and the poor world is the single most difficult task at the climate talks.
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