With only three months to go for the Copenhagen meet for discussion on the next climate treaty which will replace the Kyoto treaty, climate negotiators from around the world are busy ironing out differences which threaten the to make the Copenhagen talks a failure.
The tussle between developing and developed countries on sharing the responsibility to reduce carbon emissions seems far from being over. While the developed countries want the developing countries to share at least some of the responsibility by stopping the growth of their carbon emission output, the developing countries argue that the developed countries have a historical responsibility to act boldly to reduce carbon emissions.
Contentious Issues
Developing countries argue that their per capita carbon emissions are significantly less as compared to those of the developed countries and in many cases they are within the internationally defined limit of per capita emissions for sustainable development. They argue that its the developed countries which need to act boldly, possibly changing their lifestyles and slashing energy consumption, to reduce their carbon emissions.
The developed countries, on the other hand, are finding it difficult to convince their people to bear the economic costs of those bold emission reduction targets at this time of economic crisis. Their governments are struggling to pass laws which call for providing financial help to developing and poor countries at the expense of charging more from industries for excess carbon dioxide emissions.
With serious questions being raised about Kyoto Protocol’s success it is imperative that the next treaty be not only bold, but also practical and focused at reducing carbon emissions globally. Several issues of contention include, targets of emission reductions, possibility of an international carbon tax, size and mode of financial help to be provided to the developing countries and technology transfer and the intellectual property rights related to it.
Emission Reduction Targets
It is hard to see developing countries agreeing to any kind of emission reduction targets, although China has given signals that it could agree to some kind of cap on industrial emissions. But other developing countries like India, Brazil, South Africa and Indonesia don’t seem to be on-board with the idea of cutting or stopping the growth of their carbon emission. India has bluntly refused to consider any emission reduction targets saying that they could jeopardize its fight against poverty.
Instead the developing countries want the system of carbon offsetting to continue. The developed countries should invest in clean energy projects in the developing countries thereby offsetting their own carbon emissions and expanding renewable energy infrastructure in the developing countries.
Financial Aid & Technology Transfer
Developing countries claim that their economies are not yet ready to bear the burden of the transition from fossil fuel energy systems to the expensive renewable energy systems. Although the developed countries have agreed in-principle to form an international adaptation fund to aid developing and poor countries get access to clean energy technologies, the the fund is yet to take shape given the economic constraints the world is facing.
The developing countries want affordable access to the currently expensive clean energy technologies. The developing countries would like to familiarize with the latest technologies and mass produce cheaper equipments in order to offset the economic costs through reverse engineering. The developed countries have objected to this saying the step would violate the intellectual property rights and could severely affect their revenues which they will make by selling these technologies to the developing countries.
It is important that a reasonable solution is found to this problem. Industrial emissions are the major contributors to the carbon emission output of the developing countries. Poor quality of energy resources, lack of clean technology and inefficient methods of disposal are the primary reasons for the rapid increase in their emissions output.
International Carbon Tax
The climate bill on which the US Congress will vote soon contains a clause which will enable the United States to levy additional duties on goods imported from countries which do not have emission reduction targets. The European Union too has been discussing this issue for a while on however there is no consensus reached yet with some EU members opposing the proposed tax.
United States, which has seen the WTO Talks fall apart, seems to use this arm twisting approach in order to bring the developing countries in line. Another advantage the carbon tax clause would be that the American manufacturers would attain some price parity with the low cost imported goods coming from the developing countries.
The developing countries have understandably opposed the carbon tax with India calling it ‘protectionism under green label‘. Although many experts believe that an international carbon taxis simpler and would prove much more effective than the currently used carbon offsetting mechanism, developing countries, including China, are totally against it.
The UNFCC have recommended that global carbon emissions should reduced by 25 to 40 percent by 2020 in order to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change. But this could be tough ask given the current economic conditions and reluctance to pledge bold emissions cuts by the developed countries. Therefore, it is imperative that a realistic and scientifically practical goal is adopted.
While proving monetary help to the developing countries through bilateral deals or through UN affiliated mechanisms it must be ensured that the developing countries make optimal use of the funds and report to a central agency on the success of various clean energy projects receiving funding.
It is important that the developed and developing countries recognize their responsibilities and reduce their carbon emissions to scientifically prescribed levels while working their way through the financial and social constraints. With time running out fast it is essential that the negotiators find a common ground by addressing all issues raised by all parties because unlike the previous treaty the world cannot afford to rely on partial emission reduction targets, the emission reduction must be global.
This article was contributed to Celsias by Mridul Chadha
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