Archived press release

Bali climate negotiations: a road map with no sign posts?

19 December 2007

Climate talks in Bali [1] came to a close last Saturday (15/12/2007) with negotiators reaching a deal to take forward the successor to the Kyoto protocol [2]. Ministers from 180 countries thrashed out the agreement which resulted in the ‘Bali roadmap’; a pact to address global warming that starts two years of negotiations designed to agree new emissions targets.

The Northern Ireland Climate Change Coalition (NI CCC) [3] welcomes the commitment to a process of negotiating further emissions cuts by 2020. Getting 180 countries to agree was no mean feat. However, the fact that there is no specific agreement on the level of cuts means the Bali road map is missing a vital signpost [4]. The US delegation proved a major obstacle to progress and unfortunately they and some other developed nations blocked moves for specific targets.

Claire Hanna of Concern said:

“Climate change is already having devastating impacts on the lives of some of the world’s poorest communities through drought and flooding. The lack of clear targets in the roadmap leaves them vulnerable to further disastrous consequences.”

Progress was made in Bali on the transfer of clean technology to poorer nations, and a fund for adaptation measures. However, such progress was eclipsed by the failure to introduce clear targets for carbon cuts. Kete Loane, Environment Minister of the Pacific Cook Islands, delivered a stark message, “We are merely asking for survival: nothing more, nothing less.”

John Woods of Friends of the Earth said:

“It is more important than ever that industrialized nations take responsibility for emissions cuts. This political and moral leadership should be expressed in Northern Ireland not only through our commitment to the UK Climate Change Bill but also by setting legally binding targets for emissions reductions locally”.

The NI CCC welcomed the Assembly’s extension of the UK Climate Change Bill to Northern Ireland [5] and Arlene Foster’s statement that, “The Assembly’s endorsement of the principle that the Bill be extended to Northern Ireland will demonstrate that we are fully committed to playing our part in tackling this very important global issue.” However, without tough reduction targets, in Northern Ireland and internationally, we are unlikely to be able to meet the many challenges that climate change presents.

Notes

[1] (back)  The United Nations hosted a climate change conference on the Indonesian island of Bali from December 3-14. Delegates from over 180 nations, together with observers from intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations, met to negotiate the principles of a new pact to succeed the Kyoto protocol which expires in 2012.

[2] (back) The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the international Framework Convention on Climate Change with the objective of reducing the greenhouse gases that cause climate change. It was agreed on 11 December 1997 at the 3rd Conference of the Parties to the treaty when they met in Kyoto, and came into force on 16 February 2005.

[3] (back) The Climate Change Coalition (Northern Ireland) comprises a wide range of environment and development groups who all wish to see Northern Ireland play its full role in combating global climate change. Climate change is now accepted as an issue which will have local and global impacts in the economic, health and social sectors as well on the environment.

The goals of the Climate Change Coalition (NI) are to raise awareness of climate change and to change behavior and public policies to deliver local and global benefits.  The Coalition recognises that the behaviour of people in Northern Ireland is, through climate change, having disproportionate negative impacts on those living in many parts of the developing world.  By working together we hope that we can help people here recognise that individual and political action in Northern Ireland can make a difference both here and further afield.
Coalition members: Centre for Global Education; The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health; Christian Aid Ireland; Concern Worldwide; Conservation Volunteers Northern Ireland; Friends of the Earth; ICTU; NICVA; Northern Ireland Environment Link; Oxfam Ireland, RSPB; Sustainable Northern Ireland; Sustrans; Tearfund; The National Trust; Tidy Northern Ireland; Tools for Solidarity; Ulster Wildlife Trust; WWF.

[4] (back) A reference to 25-40% cuts for industrialised countries by 2020 over 1990 levels was included in a draft agreement produced a week ago, but did not appear in the final agreement. The range reflected recommendations made in a report this year by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which said the cuts were essential to prevent global temperatures rising above two degrees. The cuts were also called for in a document agreed at an earlier meeting in Vienna of Kyoto Protocol signatories, including the UK.

In Bali, however, the inclusion of a specific range of targets - even non binding ones - was strongly resisted by the governments of the United States, Russia, Japan and Canada. Instead, this agreement merely makes a footnote reference to the IPCC report.

[5] (back) The key provisions of the Bill are:

• A series of key statutory targets for reducing carbon dioxide emissions;

• A new system of legally binding 5-year carbon budgets;

• A new statutory body, to be known as the Committee on Climate Change, to provide independent expert advice and guidance;

• New powers to enable the Government to more easily implement emissions reducing policies;

• A new open and transparent system of annual reporting; and

• A requirement for a risk assessment of the impacts of climate change, including a commitment to develop a programme to prepare for the impacts of climate change.

Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland
7 Donegall Street Place
BELFAST
BT1 2FN
Tel: 028 9023 3488
Fax: 028 9024 7556
Email: foe-ni@foe.co.uk.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust