Posted on Sustainabilitank.info on November 17th, 2006
by Pincas Jawetz (PJ@SustainabiliTank.com)
Hie excellency, Mohammed Bwarkindo, Acting for the Secretary General of OPEC, spoke at the high-level segment of COP/MOP1 of the UNFCCC and in his introduction said that we were in a continent which is the cradle of Humanity. Actually, in his hand corrected draft he had first that we were on African soil, the “poorest continent”, in a country that was the cradle of Humanity. He then followed with - “climate change is adding more challenges and is creating additional vulnerabilities for these countries, although they are not responsible for the currrent state of the planet.” And, then to his actual selling idea: “OPEC therefore reiterates the importance of the UN Convention on Climate Change and Kyoto Protocol and calls for strict adherence, in our work, to their fundamental principles, and in particular the principle of common but differentiated responsibilitiy and respective capabilities.“
Now do not think really that the gentleman was worried about the hardships his organization has caused the world in general and Africa in particular, he does not exactly know were he is - he forgot the word “Framework” in his reference. Now to the real point:
“Fifteen years have passed since the Rio Convention, laid the foundations adressing climate change” (for his information - Rio was not about climate change but about sustainable development - he really has no interest in such niceties), he continues - but industrialized nations are still far from contributing significantly in reducing their overall emissions level and from fulfilling their many obligations vis-a-vis developing countries in general, and those, whose economies are highly dependent on the export of fossil fuels, in particular, as enshrined in articles KP 2.3 and Kp 3.14 and 4.8 of the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol. So this is the snake oil of this presentation!
He continues - “Energy is fundamental for economic development and society progress, for sustainable development. While the use of all forms of energy is welcome, it is clear that fossil fuels will continue to satisfy the lion’s share of world’s growing energy needs for decades to come.” So, to be kept happy, he wants industrialized countries to fund and execute large carbon capture and storage demonstration projects. And listen to this one; IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO MAKE THIS TECHNOLOGY ELIGIBLE TO THE CLEAN DEVELOPMENT MECHANISM, SOONER RATHER THAN LATER.
The Devil’s Sulfur: OPEC CONSIDERS THAT EFFORTS SHOULD NOT BE LIMITED TO MITIGATION, BUT SHOULD INCREASINGLY ENCOMPASS ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE, IN PARTICULAR FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.
What the devil wants is that the rest of the world adapts to the suffering caused by the use of fossil fuels in order to keep the oil exporters happy. The oil users - and those that even do not have the money to use oil - should fund their own demise.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, now in their own name, had Engineer Ali ibn Ibrahim Naimi, His Excellency the Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resouces, say that he rejects - “the attempt to have the developind countries included in the upcomming obligations through review of the protocol’s provisions in Article IX is unacceptable, especially as it will modify the principles of the rights and obligations spelled out in the Convention and Protocol, at the top of which is the countries of Annex I assuming the leading role in confronting the climate change which they failed to demostrate so far, either with respect to their commitment to reduce emissions or their obligation to transfer techno9logy and provide financial support to developing countries, especially the countries that are the most affected as a result of the selective policies adapted by countries of Annex I in inmplementing their obligations relative to reduction of the emissions of greenhouse gases.”
The above is really interesting and we agree with him in what he says about the countries of Annex I - we strogly believe they should substitues for oil and stop using oil - OPEC or no-OPEC. The Emissions of CO2 are the problem that causes climate change and there is no escape from the need to deal wity this problem.
Africa needs help for the efforts to compensate them for already existing effects - but the world needs MITIGATION in order to decrease our down-slide that leads only to more serious damage in the future. CHASING ADAPTATION IS NO WAY TO HANDLE THIS PROBLEM.
His Excellency, Fatemeh Vaez Javadi, Vice president And head of the Department of Environment of the Islamic Republic of Iran, another serious oil exporter, fifth speaker at the high-level opening session, found the occasion appropriate to make the additional statement: “I would like to remind that so far not enough attention has been paid to the transfer of nuclear energy as a new source. This is despite the fact that in some of the developed countries, a major portion of their energy is supplied by nuclear energy. We hereby request that the issue of technology transfer of nuclear energy to be considered by the Conference of the Parties.” Now he is right - if the industrialized world refuses to be honest about what they do at home and what they request from others, they will clearly have to face the likes of Saudi Arabia and Iran and bear the consequences of dependence on unsavioury regimes. I will not say a further word about Iran - they are plenty in the news theses days - but I will remark that yesterday Saudi Arabia was described here, in a Press Conference, as a family business masqerading as an indepentent State. If the developing countries include the pushers of oil among their own leadership - they clearly do so at their own peril.
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Posted in Kenya, Reporting from UNFCCC Meetings, Archives, Africa, Iran, Arab Asia, Saudi Arabia
