Climate Negotiations in Cancun: Week 1 Synopsis

After position statements and welcoming speeches at the beginning of the Cancun climate summit, representatives of 193 nations continued negotiations carried over from last year’s attempt in Copenhagen to reach accord on greenhouse gas reduction goals.

Considerable attention was paid to the unequivocal position made by Japan on extension of the Kyoto Protocol, which set mandatory GHG reduction goals only for some developed countries. "It does not make sense to set a second commitment period," Hideki Minamikawa, vice minister for global environment in the Japanese environment ministry, told reporters. "[Signatories] to Kyoto only represent 15 per cent of global emissions, but the countries who have signed up to the Copenhagen accord cause 80 per cent of emissions. We want a single binding treaty... We should jump ship to a more effective framework." Similar statements were made by Japan’s envoys Hideki Minamikawa and Kunihiko Shimada.

“The Kyoto Protocol is the very basis of the framework to address climate change through international cooperation,” China’s envoy, Su Wei told reporters in Cancun. “If the pillar is collapsed, you can guess the consequences.”

Meanwhile, the AP reported that the United States and China are making progress on narrowing their differences on greenhouse gas emissions monitoring. The monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of emissions reductions is frequently cited as one of the key building blocks to achieving a global climate agreement.

Su Wei said China’s differences with the United States over MRV "are not that huge. In general, both countries would like to promote the process" and emerge from Cancun with a deal.

Concern, however, is growing over the fate of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), the tool developed through Kyoto that enables developed countries to meet a portion of emissions targets through financing projects in developing countries. Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing states have called for carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects to be granted emissions credits under the CDM--a proposal that Brazil and other countries oppose.

For more information on these developments visit:
http://news.ph.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4498060
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-02/china-brazil-say-debate-on-exte...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/02/AR201012...

Be sure to check www.eesi.org for more updates as the climate negotiations continue.