China clashes with U.S., Canada at climate talks


China clashes with U.S., Canada at climate talks

An activist demonstrates during a march called by the NGO Via Campesina which gathers peasants from around the world, in the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-16), in the streets of Cancun, Mexico, on December 7, 2010.

Photograph by: Juan Barreto , AFP/Getty Images

CANCUN, Mexico — Emerging economies could be years away from accepting a global-warming treaty promoted by the Obama administration but the planet should focus on other modest steps in meantime instead of holding its breath and waiting for a deal, the United States' special envoy for climate change said Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters during a break from negotiations at the annual United Nations climate change summit in Mexico, Todd Stern said the U.S. wants a legally binding agreement that produces similar obligations for all major countries, including emerging giants, such as China, India and Brazil.

But he said they don't appear ready to compromise on support for the Kyoto Protocol, the existing legally binding treaty, which does not require developing countries to set caps on their pollution.

"Let's not be hung up for year after year after year . . . because I think, frankly, that the clarity that I'm talking about is not something that the emerging economies are ready to do yet," he said.

"I'm not criticizing them in that regard, by the way, I'm simply stating an observation."

With negotiations deadlocked over concerns from major countries that binding caps on pollution could stunt economic growth, Stern said the talks could get back on track within a year by focusing on specific issues, such as building an international green fund, a plan for adaptation in developing countries as well as a new program to reduce emissions from deforestation.

"All of those things can happen over the course of now and next year, and I think over time, you will build up confidence, you will have a working system and you will have a better chance to transition into a legal outcome over time," he said.

"The other way around is to just to keep holding your breath 'til you get a legal agreement and not do anything, and that's not what we would do."

Canadian Environment Minister John Baird singled out China, suggesting it is large enough to take on significant commitments in a new deal.

But China fired back at both Canada and the U.S., telling the conference that developed countries should meet targets set under the Kyoto agreement, whether they have ratified the deal or not and make subsequent commitments when the first phase of the agreement ends at the end of 2012.

Canada, like the U.S., has criticized the Kyoto agreement for not imposing tougher commitments on developing countries.

But China's chief negotiator Xie Zhenhua noted in a speech to delegates that his country had set a target to reduce the intensity or growth of its emissions by up to 45 per cent by 2020, and was striving to see its emissions peak as soon as possible.

"China will stay the course of sustainable and low carbon and green development and will never repeat the mistakes of developed countries during the period of their industrialization — a period when greenhouse gases were emitted in an unchecked manner," Zhenhua said.

But Baird agreed there could be progress on some of the issues raised by Stern, noting that Canada was particularly focused on stopping deforestation, which is responsible for about 17 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.


"This was an initiative that began back in 2005 at the Montreal (UN climate change) conference," Baird told a news conference.

"It's something with which Canadians have obviously played a role in the past and see it as a huge priority. Deforestation is one of the biggest causes of human-generated greenhouse-gas emissions, and it's also one of the cheapest to stop."

He said the boreal forest was one of the largest carbon sinks in the world and that the government had taken "considerable action" to address deforestation in Canada.

The deforestation negotiations focus on providing international funding and support to help developing countries protect their forests. Canada has already announced a $40-million contribution to a World Bank fund supporting the objective. Environment Canada says this is the largest single contribution by any country to the fund.

"It's not paying to protect a forest as much as . . . how we build the capacity to protect it," he said.

Baird also singled out some emerging economies for opposing verification and accountability, noting that Canada was always prepared to open its record to international scrutiny.

"I can understand for Tuvalu, Ethiopia or Haiti, but why would Singapore object to standard reporting?" Baird asked.

"I just don't know what the argument is for having among major emitters a two-tiered reporting structure. If you're going to report, why can't you verify? It's just common sense."

Conservative senators last month voted to kill climate-change accountability legislation, introduced by the NDP, which would have required the federal government to set science-based targets and publish regular reports on its progress.

Stern said setting a goal of limiting global warming by no more than two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels was an important goal for a new agreement, but suggested that it was a guideline.

"Two degrees is sometimes looked . . . at as a little more talismanic than I think it ought to be, but the important thing is to track the science," Stern said.

"The science might tell us as we go forward that two degrees is too high. It might tell us that 2.2 is OK. We'll see as we go forward but I think two degrees is a good goal to be in the agreement."

The Harper government had argued the science-based targets in the Canadian legislation would harm the country's economy.

But Baird said Canada would accept legally binding targets in a new treaty if all major countries were doing their fair share to reduce emissions.

He noted his own government demonstrated its support for principles of accountability through its federal accountability legislation.

"Maybe, in terms of climate change, we need a global accountability act," he said. "All the big players should be accepting transparent reporting and verification processes."

He added he agreed with calls from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for countries to do more.

Baird said he was scheduled to have some bilateral meetings Wednesday as well as meetings with Canadian environmental groups.

Representatives from China and India were also scheduled to address the delegates Wednesday, while the U.S. and Canada were scheduled to speak Thursday.




Photograph by: Juan Barreto, AFP/Getty Images


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