Warming up for Copenhagen

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is holding a one-day summit on climate change for world leaders at UN headquarters on Tuesday. The meeting is not a negotiating session,but Ban hopes it will encourage heads of state and government to prod their governments over outstanding issues that have stopped official talks from moving forward. US President Barack Obama hosts a meeting of G20 leaders on Thursday and Friday in Pittsburgh,where they are likely to discuss how industrial nations should provide financial support for developing countries dealing with climate change.

What is the status of climate talks?

UN talks among 190 nations are scheduled to take place in Copenhagen on December 7-18 to forge a deal on a climate treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol,which runs out at the end of 2012. The Copenhagen conference is an annual meeting of the signatories to the UNFCCC called the Conference of Parties. Progress ahead of Copenhagen has been limited. Industrial and developing nations are at odds over how to spread out greenhouse gas emission curbs and how much rich nations should pay to help poorer countries cope with the effects of rising temperatures.

What is the Kyoto Protocol?

It is a comprehensive global agreement to deal with the effects of climate change. It lays down the principle of common but differentiated responsibility for countries to reduce greenhouse gases. Developed countries,defined as Annex-I countries,are obligated to cut their emissions by specific targets,while the non-Annex countries,comprising the developing world and the Least Developing Countries,have to take measures to deviate from the business-as-usual scenario. The Protocol came into effect in 2005. The Annex-I countries,put together,were asked to bring their total emissions to 5.2 per cent below the 1990 levels in the first commitment period,i.e. 2008-2012. Individually,different Annex-I countries have differing emission reduction targets,to reach the total of 5.2 per cent. The US,the worlds biggest emitter of greenhouse gases,has signed the Kyoto Protocol but not ratified it. It,therefore,does not have any emission reduction targets even though it figures in the list of Annex-I countries.

What can this weeks meetings do to advance talks?

Renewed commitment from world leaders at the UN summit could reinvigorate the process,trickling down to negotiating rounds set to take place in the coming months. There are two people to watch in particular: Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao. The Chinese leader is expected to unveil new plans that his country intends to take to tackle global warming a move that could help break the international deadlock. Obamas speech at the summit will be scrutinised for signs that he is stepping up to take the leadership role he promised the US would take on this issue.

What is the current debate?

Most of the Annex-I countries are way off their targets for 2012,resulting in worsening of global warming. The other countries want Annex-I countries to take more ambitious cuts in their emissions for the second commitment period as yet undefined,with 2012-2017 and 2012-2020 being the options to prevent global warming from becoming catastrophic. It is generally accepted that Annex-I countries need to bring their emissions to 40 per cent below the 1990 levels by 2020. None of the Annex-I countries,however,want to commit themselves to such huge cuts. The most liberal offer has come from the European Union which has said it would cut its emissions by 20 per cent by 2020,and extend it to 30 per cent if others agree to similar cuts. The Annex-I countries also want countries like India and China to take legally-binding emission cuts.

Whats next after the UN Summit?

The G20 meeting on Thursday and Friday comes next,though US and other G20 officials have played down expectations of any substantial breakthrough on the financing issue. Further climate negotiating sessions are scheduled to take place in Bangkok at the end of September and Barcelona in early November. The Copenhagen talks begin on December 7.

What is Indias position?

India is a prominent player in what is called the Group of 77 countries,which have a common negotiating plank. Indias stand has been based on two principles. First,that the current stock of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is the result of accumulated emissions over a period of 150-200 years for which the Annex-I countries are solely responsible. As such,the emission cuts should also come from these countries. And second,the UNFCCC outlines the principle of equity which argues that every individual in the world should have equal share of total emissions. Indias per capita emissions are far below the world average,leave alone the level of Annex-I countries. Therefore,India cannot take any targeted emission cuts.

How much does India emit?

Indias emissions of greenhouse gases comprising six gases,of which carbon dioxide is the most harmful is about 1.8 billion tonnes. Carbon dioxide emissions alone are about 1.3 billion tonnes. Per capita emissions come to about 1.8 tonnes. In comparison,the United States emits more than 6 billion tonnes with a per capita emission of more than 20 tonnes. Average per capita emission of the world is about 4.5 tonnes and that in the Annex-I countries is about 12 tonnes.

What is India offering?

India says it will not accept any targeted cuts in its emissions but it has offered not to let its per capita emissions grow beyond that of the developed countries. Also,it is taking several measures towards shifting to a more carbon-free economy,like promoting renewable energy and bringing in stricter energy-efficiency norms. India says its primary concern would be adaptation and any mitigation of carbon emissions must be supported by international finance and transfer of technology.

Agencies