Climate meet ends in consensus

The nine-day conference on climate change ended today with a Delhi Declaration and putting nuts and bolts on mechanisms that would help implement Kyoto Protocol once it is ratified. It is a global plan to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from the world with fixed targets for developed countries.

COP-8 Landmarks

* Adaptation, capacity building brought into focus * Climate change in context of sustainable development * Clean Development Mechanism rules framed * Reporting emission data from developed countries made efficient * Priorities listed for Special Climate Change Fund and Least Developed Country Fund * Guidelines for national communications from developing countries on greenhouse gas emissions. (ENS)

COP president T.R. Baalu called the meeting a ‘‘success’’ — the single most important reason being that developing countries resisted EU pressure to talk about taking steps to reduce greenhouse gases beyond 2012.

While the mood is congratulatory in the Indian camp, there are some who are going to return unhappy — EU, Canada, Japan and the small island states. The US and the OPEC group are happy with the outcome of the meeting. Much to most parties’ relief, the reference to Kyoto protocol was lifted to the top of the declaration.

‘‘Negotiating a consensus declaration with 170 countries and 10 regional groups is not ordinary. I am happy to say that the countries have managed to reach a consensus,’’ said Baalu at the end of the conference.

India and the G 77 also managed to keep the stress on adaptation. Adaptation is a new concept that acknowledges the urgent need to compensate the vulnerable for the impacts of climate change. The developed counties want to stress mitigation, that is reducing greenhouse gas levels.

The US and Saudi Arabia have been generous in their praise both for the declaration and the general outcome. They got what they wanted — linking climate change to sustainable development.

The COP-8 was just expected to polish implementation mechanism for Kyoto protocol. It did manage to finalise the rules on use of CDM. The conference concluded three years’ work on procedures for reporting and reviewing emission data from developed countries. There have also been guidelines on Global Environment Facility and operationalisation of special climate change fund and least developed country fund.