Date: 18-Sep-09
Country: UNITED NATIONS
Author: David Fogarty
 

Developing nations have stepped up pledges to curb growth in greenhouse gas emissions as U.N.-led talks trying to seal a broader pact on fighting climate change intensity ahead of a major climate meeting in December.

Following are comments from leading climate officials and policy analysts on how these steps will affect the tone of the talks and the outcome.

KIM CARSTENSEN, HEAD OF WWF'S GLOBAL CLIMATE INITIATIVE

"The good news is that these new developments show that a large number of developing countries are taking climate change seriously and are preparing themselves for significant action on the mitigation side and on the adaptation side.

"What we lack is some kind of agreement of how that translates into something international. And that I think is one of the technical problems in the negotiations, that these things have been put forward in a domestic political context for each of the countries, but they are not at the moment seen or defined as part of a negotiated international framework."

CHEW TAI SOO, SINGAPORE'S CLIMATE CHANGE AMBASSADOR

"The problem is not one of whether countries are doing enough, or doing anything. It's a question of the demand by developed countries that developing countries must commit themselves to these targets internationally. That is a difficult issue.

"China, India, domestically they are doing something. In China's case, even the U.S. admits that it is doing a lot. But these are domestic actions, domestic programs and the line that needs to be crossed will be whether the Chinese or other developing countries are prepared to commit themselves to what they are doing domestically, internationally."

MATTHEW CLARKE, SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL AND POLITICAL

STUDIES, DEAKIN UNIVERSITY, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

"Developing countries are now seeing the value in engaging with climate change negotiations. As the most vulnerable in the long term, it is to their advantage to support an international climate change protocol.

"Until now, the reluctance of developing countries to commit to measures to reduce measures has allowed developed nations an excuse to also not commit: 'If they aren't going to reduce emissions, why should we'. Given the engagement of developing countries, this approach by wealthy countries will no longer suffice."

DIVYA REDDY, ANALYST IN EURASIA GROUP'S GLOBAL ENERGY &

NATURAL RESOURCES PRACTICE

"I think it makes it harder for the U.S. and other industrialized countries to say that they need to see action from China and India before acting themselves. People in the Obama administration and some in Congress have already backed away from that position, pointing to significant progress in China, in particular.

"But I don't think it's undermined pressure on developing countries to accept binding targets. I think that is something that will still come up in Copenhagen, even though they won't accept taking on mandatory targets.

"But it will increase pressure on industrialized countries to show that they too are willing to do more, especially in the 2020 timeframe and in helping developed countries by putting forward more money. And that's likely where talks will break down."

PETER BACKLUND, FORMER SCIENCE ADVISOR IN THE CLINTON

ADMINISTRATION

"All these things are very positive and it's accelerating and it's happening faster than I would have expected in the run-up to Copenhagen.

"But there's still a kind of a superficial level where the line that's got to get passed to really make a huge difference is about setting a target.

"Even though the steps themselves might be more consequential than a target, it's just a kind of superficial marker that's been established."

(Editing by Alex Richardson)