Opinion Obamas climate change push is significant but far from enough
Last month,Poznan,Poland,brought together about 190 countries to discuss how the world is to tackle climate change....
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Last month,Poznan,Poland,brought together about 190 countries to discuss how the world is to tackle climate change. But it only served to bring temperatures up a few notches as countries fiercely disagreed on an adaptation fund set up to help the developing world cope with the effects of climate change. The money for the fund comes from a two per cent levy on money that industrialised countries make through carbon trading. Developing countries wanted it raised to three per cent and the rich countries refused. The developing world stuck together as Indian representative Prodipto Ghosh rose to make an impassioned speech. He said that he had attended UN climate change meetings for 12 years and I must say this is one of the saddest moments that I have witnessed in all these years.
Ghosh,a distinguished fellow at TERI,New Delhi,and a member of the PMs Council on Climate Change,talks to Uma Vishnu about the climate change impasse and why it may be too early to be optimistic about the Copenhagen talks.
Looking back at Poznan,what went wrong?
The outright refusal of the Annex I parties (industrialised,rich countries) to provide for even a small increase in funds for adaptation showed that they were completely unwilling,at least at this stage,to be forthcoming on their side of the bargain. So this was an indication to the developing countries that they will have to work very hard and maintain their solidarity.
Is the developed world in denial about climate change?
I dont think anybody is in denial about climate change. But climate change talks over the past several years have taken on the character of economic negotiations. Countries are fighting for their share of energy resources. The developed countries are very clearly seeking to trivalise or eliminate any significant support to developing countries.
With the economy going through a rough patch,is this is the right time to talk about climate change?
On the one hand,there are some countries who feel that this is not the time to take on significant commitments. There are some who feel,for example,France and Germany,that they should not send a negative signal by showing they want to go slow on climate change. But if you look at the proceedings of the European countries,clearly they have bent over backwards to protect their energy intensive sectors by giving them free allowances. So I think the evidence is that developed countries are generally behaving in a manner by which they want to minimise or eliminate any economic pain on them. The converse is that by pressing ahead with some of the climate change agenda,they are hoping that the major part of the cost of addressing climate change can be passed on to the developing countries. US President Barack Obamas announcement of 15 billion dollars a yearfor 10 yearsis significant but is probably far from enough.
The adaptation fund was the sticking point of the talks?
Adaptation is extremely costly. For a long time,it has been the Cindrella of the climate change negotiations. We still dont have a good handle on what are the costs (needed for adaptation) but we do know that any neutralisation of the effects of climate change will cost very large amounts of money. In order to raise the resources,we have to go beyond the aid paradigm,in which countries decide how much they want to contribute (to help the poor world adapt). This is not an aid matter. It is a matter of fulfilling a certain responsibility,spilling from the fact of who has caused climate change.
The Kyoto protocol expires in 2012. Do you think Copenhagen will offer solutions?
Certainly developing countries are not desperate to get an agreement at Copenhagen unless we see that it is balanced and fair. So I think we probably will see an agreement at Copenhagen if the developing countries perceive that they are going to receive sufficient help to address mitigation and adaptation.
Is the world waiting for Barack Obama to settle down?
Everybody is waiting to see the specific nature of the proposals of the new US administration.
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