prompted by the Richard Black article on the BBC website October 5, 2005

On April 12, 2005, we posted an article “New Zealand - an Asia-Pacific Catalyst on Kyoto?”. Since then, in July, in the Laotian capital, Vientianne, at the meeting of the Association of South Asian Nations, ASEAN, a grouping was created of the six largest Greenhouse Gas emitters from around the Pacific. The purpose of this group was to create an alternative to Kyoto by providing a way that shows voluntary activities, as suggested by the United States, could be effective in changing emission patterns.

The big six are: Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and the United States. These do not include New Zealand, and one can thus see in it also a rejection by Australia of the attempted good services by the New Zealanders.

The big six were supposed to meet early in November in Adelaide, Australia, and it was expected that they will come up with a document to bring along to Montreal at the end of November. As we know, the COP 11 of the Framework Convention on Climate Change starts in Montreal on November 28 and will extend till December 9. As well, the first Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (MOP 1), the first meeting from which the US and Australia will be excluded, because they are non-participants, will also occur in Montreal - during the same period.

Now we are told that the meeting in Adelaide was postponed and we assume that instead of trying to influence the Montreal meeting, the fact that no concrete proposals seem to come forward, the participants of the so called ASIA-PACIFIC CLIMATE PACT are opting out for a wait and see situation. Let us hope that China, India, Japan and South Korea will rejoin active participation in the framing of the post-Kyoto regime, rather then allowing themselves to be serenaded by the US and Australia into opposing such future steps.

We will proceed now by attaching the actual article from the BBC website.

————————

Climate change summit postponed

By Richard Black

Environment Correspondent, BBC News website

The first meeting of the Asia-Pacific climate pact, scheduled to take place in November in Australia, has been postponed, the BBC has learned.

Announced in July, the pact of six nations aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through technology and voluntary partnerships.

It has been hailed in some quarters as an alternative to the Kyoto Protocol.

Green groups say the postponement shows that governments involved view the Kyoto process as more important.

“The partnership was a hastily drawn together arrangement, and the group wanted to demonstrate they were going to produce something quickly,” said Stephanie Long, Climate Justice Campaigner for Friends of the Earth in Australia.

“Nothing has happened to take this pact forwards, there’s been nothing to disclose what it would entail, and it doesn’t seem like it’s as important to get around the table as it was to announce the setting up of this pact,” she told the BBC News website.

Launch in Laos

The Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate was announced in the Laotian capital, Vientiane, in July, at the Association of South East Asian Nations regional summit.

It brings together Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and the United States, which together account for nearly half of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The partnership’s vision statement speaks of:

• developing, deploying and transferring existing and emerging clean technology
• exploring technologies such as clean coal, nuclear power and carbon capture
• involving the private sector.

Missing, in stark contrast to the Kyoto Protocol, is any mention of mandatory reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions

Although the statement says the partnership would not replace the Kyoto process, the implication at the July announcement was clear; here was an alternative model through which countries could combat climate change without risking economic pain.

Criticised at the time for being short on detail, ministers referred forwards to the inaugural ministerial meeting, to be hosted by the Australian government in Adelaide in November.

A senior official involved in the process told the BBC News website that the meeting would not now take place as scheduled, and that January was the earliest possible time.

The Australian government declined to confirm the postponement, but said that there had been no formal announcement of a date or location.

Crucial timing

The timing is significant because the meeting will now take place after the next round of United Nations climate negotiations, which opens in Montreal on 28 November.

The key topic for that meeting is what shape any future international agreement on climate change should take; whether it should be another global treaty setting mandatory targets, and if so, whether targets should extend to developing nations.

Australia and the US, which have not ratified the Kyoto treaty, are among those which would prefer a looser, more voluntary arrangement emphasising clean technology.

Last month, the British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has in the past supported a “child-of-Kyoto” concept, indicated a possible change of mind.

“Probably I’m changing my thinking about this in the past two or three years,” he said at the Clinton Global Initiative meeting in New York, going on to extol the importance of technology in curbing emissions.

“Based on recent statements by Tony Blair I would say that there is a move in the direction of voluntary agreements,” observed Julian Morris, executive director of the International Policy Network, a market-oriented think-tank.

“Looking at the geopolitics, it seems unlikely that China, India, South Africa, or Brazil would realistically sign up to emission reductions; and one can understand why, because it would definitely impact their economic growth.

“We don’t know precisely what this Asia-Pacific pact entails, but to the extent that it encourages technology transfer it would be a good thing.”

But Stephanie Long sees in the meeting’s postponement the balance tipping towards the UN model.

“If the Asia-Pacific partnership had been able to have their meeting around the same time, it would have really taken the power out of the Montreal meeting,” she said.

“If they haven’t been able to organise the climate pact meeting in time, that demonstrates that Kyoto is actually the more important climate change forum.”

© BBC MMV

prompted by the Richard Black article on the BBC website October 5, 2005

On April 12, 2005, we posted an article “New Zealand - an Asia-Pacific Catalyst on Kyoto?”. Since then, in July, in the Laotian capital, Vientianne, at the meeting of the Association of South Asian Nations, ASEAN, a grouping was created of the six largest Greenhouse Gas emitters from around the Pacific. The purpose of this group was to create an alternative to Kyoto by providing a way that shows voluntary activities, as suggested by the United States, could be effective in changing emission patterns.

The big six are: Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and the United States. These do not include New Zealand, and one can thus see in it also a rejection by Australia of the attempted good services by the New Zealanders.

The big six were supposed to meet early in November in Adelaide, Australia, and it was expected that they will come up with a document to bring along to Montreal at the end of November. As we know, the COP 11 of the Framework Convention on Climate Change starts in Montreal on November 28 and will extend till December 9. As well, the first Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (MOP 1), the first meeting from which the US and Australia will be excluded, because they are non-participants, will also occur in Montreal - during the same period.

Now we are told that the meeting in Adelaide was postponed and we assume that instead of trying to influence the Montreal meeting, the fact that no concrete proposals seem to come forward, the participants of the so called ASIA-PACIFIC CLIMATE PACT are opting out for a wait and see situation. Let us hope that China, India, Japan and South Korea will rejoin active participation in the framing of the post-Kyoto regime, rather then allowing themselves to be serenaded by the US and Australia into opposing such future steps.

We will proceed now by attaching the actual article from the BBC website.

————————

Climate change summit postponed

By Richard Black

Environment Correspondent, BBC News website

The first meeting of the Asia-Pacific climate pact, scheduled to take place in November in Australia, has been postponed, the BBC has learned.

Announced in July, the pact of six nations aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through technology and voluntary partnerships.

It has been hailed in some quarters as an alternative to the Kyoto Protocol.

Green groups say the postponement shows that governments involved view the Kyoto process as more important.

“The partnership was a hastily drawn together arrangement, and the group wanted to demonstrate they were going to produce something quickly,” said Stephanie Long, Climate Justice Campaigner for Friends of the Earth in Australia.

“Nothing has happened to take this pact forwards, there’s been nothing to disclose what it would entail, and it doesn’t seem like it’s as important to get around the table as it was to announce the setting up of this pact,” she told the BBC News website.

Launch in Laos

The Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate was announced in the Laotian capital, Vientiane, in July, at the Association of South East Asian Nations regional summit.

It brings together Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and the United States, which together account for nearly half of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The partnership’s vision statement speaks of:

• developing, deploying and transferring existing and emerging clean technology
• exploring technologies such as clean coal, nuclear power and carbon capture
• involving the private sector.

Missing, in stark contrast to the Kyoto Protocol, is any mention of mandatory reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions

Although the statement says the partnership would not replace the Kyoto process, the implication at the July announcement was clear; here was an alternative model through which countries could combat climate change without risking economic pain.

Criticised at the time for being short on detail, ministers referred forwards to the inaugural ministerial meeting, to be hosted by the Australian government in Adelaide in November.

A senior official involved in the process told the BBC News website that the meeting would not now take place as scheduled, and that January was the earliest possible time.

The Australian government declined to confirm the postponement, but said that there had been no formal announcement of a date or location.

Crucial timing

The timing is significant because the meeting will now take place after the next round of United Nations climate negotiations, which opens in Montreal on 28 November.

The key topic for that meeting is what shape any future international agreement on climate change should take; whether it should be another global treaty setting mandatory targets, and if so, whether targets should extend to developing nations.

Australia and the US, which have not ratified the Kyoto treaty, are among those which would prefer a looser, more voluntary arrangement emphasising clean technology.

Last month, the British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has in the past supported a “child-of-Kyoto” concept, indicated a possible change of mind.

“Probably I’m changing my thinking about this in the past two or three years,” he said at the Clinton Global Initiative meeting in New York, going on to extol the importance of technology in curbing emissions.

“Based on recent statements by Tony Blair I would say that there is a move in the direction of voluntary agreements,” observed Julian Morris, executive director of the International Policy Network, a market-oriented think-tank.

“Looking at the geopolitics, it seems unlikely that China, India, South Africa, or Brazil would realistically sign up to emission reductions; and one can understand why, because it would definitely impact their economic growth.

“We don’t know precisely what this Asia-Pacific pact entails, but to the extent that it encourages technology transfer it would be a good thing.”

But Stephanie Long sees in the meeting’s postponement the balance tipping towards the UN model.

“If the Asia-Pacific partnership had been able to have their meeting around the same time, it would have really taken the power out of the Montreal meeting,” she said.

“If they haven’t been able to organise the climate pact meeting in time, that demonstrates that Kyoto is actually the more important climate change forum.”

© BBC MMV