Mixed Views of Hawaii Progress
Delegates from the latest US sponsored climate talks in Hawaii have given mixed reports on its success, indicating that the initial stand-off between the US, India and China is still very much an issue.
An unnamed EU delegate gave a very positive statement leading to a number of encouraging headlines in conservative newspapers: “I came expecting nothing and was very pleasantly surprised. Normally, we get sterile pre-prepared statements of policy, but this time there was a very frank discussion exploring the very difficult and different conditions facing each of the countries. It was very constructive.”
However Brice Lalonde, the French climate ambassador gave a statement which somewhat tempers this enthusiasm: “It was very low-key but people just got on with it. The talks were very positive… until the final statement was discussed.”
That final statement, according to Lalonde, explicitly excludes acknowledgement of discussion on potential binding emissions targets, notably at the request of India and Russia.
Are binding targets close?
It is understood that the US is moving slowly towards the idea of binding targets, and has indicated that it will be happy to commit to a UN target scheme if other major economies do the same. However, it appears that India is the principle roadblock in this instance, being unwilling to reduce overall emissions whilst their per-capita emissions are twenty times lower than that of the US.
Whilst one can have a lot of sympathy for this sentiment, the Indian strategy seems to be short sighted in the least. At their current rate of growth, per capita emissions are set to increase massively as a whole new Indian middle class emerges. By committing to emissions schemes right now, India has the potential to build a low carbon economy from scratch, rather than suffer the pain that developed nations face as they try to replace and renew established infrastructure.
There is plenty of room for pessimism in this post, but considering where we were 12 months ago the world has certainly come a long way. Expect lots more change to come.
See also: Latest from Hawaii Climate Change Negotiations: Nothing yet..
Sources: BBC, Reuters
