(Madan Menon Thottasseri)
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India has opposed to any amendments of the Kyoto Protocol despite the pressure from EU for an agreement which can be more broader than the 1997 treaty putting obligations to developing nations for emission reductions.
India’s spokesperson, Vijai Sharma who is the Indian Environment Secretary made it clear to press that India focuses on heightened implementation of the convention. He rightly said” the spotlight is on existing commitments”.
There was anew proposal for adding a fresh protocol to the Kyoto protocol, knowing the fact that developing nations especially India, China, Brazil and S.Africa adhere to the a one protocol approach. It was the tiny island nation TUVALU which situates at just two meters above the sea level and prone to get swamped by raising sea levels, put forth the new proposal.
Tuvalu's representative Ian Fry requested the minister of the Copenhagen Conference, Connie Hedegaard to immediately form a contact group to consider the proposal for a new protocol that calls for vigorous action, such as binding cuts and puts less than 1.5 degree limit in warming, by developed nations and emerging economies.
President Connie Hedegaard had to suspend the work of the COP following a deadlock on the Issue with EU and Australia supporting it.
Developing nations like India, China, and oil producing states including Saudi Arabia have opposed it on the ground that there should not be any detraction from Kyoto Protocol, the treaty that imposes legally binding sanctions on industrialized nations, excluding the US. Developing nations will be suspecting that Europe's support for a new protocol is to weaken the Kyoto Protocol. Vijai Sharma had remarked that the several provisions in the new proposal are inconsistent and obviously in conflict with the convention provisions pertinent to historical responsibility and equity. He said that there are articles bracketing the Annex 1 and non-Annex countries and allows Annex 1 to abandon Kyoto, which is not the right message to give at this point of time.
The Kyoto Protocol sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries, called Annex 1 countries, for reducing greenhouse emissions to an average of 5% against 1990 levels between 2008-2012. However, Tuvalu and Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) have said here that the Copenhagen summit needs to produce a document much stronger than the Kyoto Protocol that neither puts obligations on U.S nor on developing and emerging economies!
Sweden's environment minister Andreas Carlgren told reporters, "If we were to end up with an agreement where the only legally binding part would be the Kyoto Protocol then we would not manage to achieve what is needed”.
Fry has repeatedly stated that his country do not want to "kill" the Kyoto Protocol but to make it tougher to both developed and developing nations.
A major portion of this conference is to extend the Kyoto Protocol into its second commitment period starting from 2013 where developed countries have to make cuts will be listed in Annex B, which is a top priority for India and China at this climate meet.
Liu Zhenmin, the deputy Chinese permanent representative to UN clarified that the Kyoto Protocol will not expire in 2012 and that is the reason for all nations to gather at Copenhagen!
In fact the protocol will be very much effective after 2012.
The Kyoto Protocol had given targets for developed countries to quantify their (emission) targets between 2008 until 2012. Thus the need for continuation of negotiations beyond 2012 arises. He remarked that Kyoto Protocol also has some other provisions and the other mechanisms."
In his opinion, Kyoto Protocol being a legally binding document has to continue to be effective. So there is no reason for developing nations to support the view that Copenhagen has to negotiate a fresh 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."
Climate change negotiations started over 20 years ago. The UNFCC is the first mile stone in the negotiation process and the Kyoto Protocol is the second one. The Copenhagen can be the third. Efforts for human kind to respond to climate change will not end in Copenhagen and it has to continue for ever.
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