UN Climate Change Summit seeks to achieve consensus on cutting emissions

Pramod de SILVA at the United Nations in New York

US: Heads of State and Governments from nearly 80 countries, including President Mahinda Rajapaksa are attending Monday’ UN Summit on Climate Change. Around 60 more countries have sent their environment ministers or key environment officials.

The meeting, formally titled ‘The Future in Our Hands Addressing the Leadership Challenge of Climate Change’ is an initiative of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who is overseeing a General Assembly process for the first time.

The UN has declared global warming as one of the top priorities at this juncture. Leading scientists have warned that climate change is already happening and could worsen, increasing the risk of hunger, drought, flood and violent storms.

Diplomats said the main idea of holding the parley was exploring the possibility of seeking a consensus on the Kyoto Protocol and other agreements on curbing greenhouse gas emissions. Many countries are also expected to reveal detailed emissions cuts.

However, the United States, which has the world’s highest emissions rates, and several other countries remain outside the Kyoto process. They oppose the Protocol saying it is based on binding caps for developed countries but none for developing economies.

UN sources have expressed their disappointment over the lukewarm response to the Summit by many industrialised countries, only a few of which will be represented by Heads of State.

There will be four parallel sessions- on emissions curbs, adapting to climate change, clean technology and financing. A summary of the main points will be discussed at the end of the deliberations.

The UN Summit will be a precursor to a discussion on deeper commitments beyond 2012 due to take place in Bali, Indonesia, from December 3-14 under Kyoto’s parent treaty, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The goal is to pave the way to a global agreement that will be concluded in 2009, with 2012 as the deadline for ratification.

The treaty seeks to accelerate cuts by developed countries, which account for 70 per cent of the carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere and by emerging giant economies such as China, India and Brazil.

On Thursday and Friday, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will host a meeting in Washington of the world’s 16 biggest polluters, and representatives the European Union (EU) and the United Nations which represent around 90 per cent of global emissions.

The meeting will launch a 15-month process during which these economies can reveal what they intend to do on climate change and explore technologies that could achieve swift cuts in emissions.