Archived press release

Pronk's proposal threatens point of kyoto protocol

23 November 2000

The COP6 negotiating process has entered a new phase with Minister Pronk's proposed'package' brokering deals between all the major players at the summit.

The deal still gives the US a giant "free gift" of carbon towards its Kyoto target, of "3% of each Party's base year emissions", which in the case of the US amounts to possibly 50 million carbon tonnes. This is less than half the latest American demand, but still represents a major weakening of the Kyoto Treaty.

There is no real cap on the use of flexible mechanisms or sinks to meet Kyoto targets, with only vague use of the word "primarily" in respect of domestic action. Combined with the 3%loophole, the US will still be able to plant and buy its way out of any real action to cut emissions from fossil fuels at home. The draft deal allows unlimited hot air trading meaning that unused credits from the collapsed Russian, Ukrainian and other economies can still be bought.

The exclusion of nuclear power from the Clean Development Mechanism is a significant step forwards which will help keep new nuclear reactors out of developing countries. But nuclear power projects remain eligible under Joint Implementation with central and eastern European countries. This is utterly inconsistent.

The rules for compliance are essentially the American proposal which simply carry over excess greenhouse gas emissions over Kyoto targets to the next commitment period, plus a low rate of "interest".

Commenting, FOEI Climate Campaigner Roda Verheyen said:
"The Kyoto Treaty was the bare minimum required to tackle man-made climate change.The latest attempt to get a deal in the Hague represents a further watering down of this Treaty. It is true that the US and its supporters have not got everything they were demanding. But they have still been given a huge free gift in the form of carbon credits towards their Kyoto targets and the right to trade vast amounts of hot air. This means they can avoid action at home to cut emissions from fossil fuels. Man-made climate change will not even be stopped by this deal, let alone reversed."

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