Roman Sidortsov

December 7, 2007

Representatives from over 180 countries met in Bali on December 3, 2007 for a two-week long UN Climate Change Conference. The conference's main goal is to create a roadmap for an international agreement on prevention of climate change. The new agreement will replace the Kyoto Protocol when the Protocol expires in 2012. The nations are in the process of negotiating the agenda of the post-Kyoto agreement and setting the deadline for the agreement's completion.

Remarkably, the nations are no longer arguing over whether the climate is changing. According to the conference executive secretary Yvo de Boer, the scientists have already proved to the world that global climate change is occurring and there are affordable and technologically feasible means available to combat the change. De Boer urged the leaders to move forward: "The eyes of the world are upon you. There is a huge responsibility for Bali to deliver . . . . The world now expects a quantum leap forward."

The United States (U.S.) has never ratified the Kyoto Protocol, primarily because China, the world's largest CO2 producer, and India, another major polluter, have yet to join it. Harlan L. Watson, senior U.S. climate negotiator, assured skeptics that the United States will enter the negotiations in good faith: "We're not here to be a roadblock . . . . [w]e're committed to a successful conclusion, and we're going to work very constructively to make that happen." Despite Mr. Watson's assurances, many believe that the United States likely will oppose emission cuts of 25-40% by 2020 for developed countries.

The U.S. position suffered a major defeat when on December 3 newly elected Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd signed documents necessary to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. This move made the United States the only wealthy developed nation in the world that is not a party to the global warming agreement. Environmentalists have high hopes for the outcome of the Bali conference. They are hoping to build on the worldwide anti-climate change momentum gained after former Vice President Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Setting a solid roadmap for Kyoto II will not be easy. "It'll take a lot of time, a lot of horse trading, a lot of negotiation, it's going to be a tough process," said the Australian Prime Minister. However, the conference executive secretary reported that the negotiators have shown "strong willingness" and have made progress on the fundamental parts of the new climate change agreement.

Sources:

John Vidal & David Adam, China Overtakes U.S. as World's Biggest CO2 Emitter, Guardian Unlimited, June 19, 2007, http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/jun/19/china.usnews (last visited Dec 7, 2007).

Joseph Coleman, UN Kicks Off Global Warming Conference to Build New Climate, The Associated Press, Dec. 3, 2007, available at http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=3944258 (last visited Dec 7, 2007).

Rod McGuirk, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Signs Paperwork to Ratify Kyoto Protocol, The Associated Press, Dec. 3, 2007, available at http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=3944563 (last visited Dec 7, 2007).

Daniel Nelson, Bali Conference 'Not Discussing Whether Climate Change Is Happening', OneWorld UK, Dec. 3, 2007, http://us.oneworld.net/article/view/155790/1/ (last visited Dec 7, 2007).

Welcome to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_13/items/4049.php (last visited Dec 7, 2007).

Global rallies focus on climate, BBC News, available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7134060.stm (last visited Dec 7, 2007).