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Three Key Components for Successful Negotiations: UN
A top United Nations official on November 20 pointed to three key components for the success of the ongoing negotiation in this Dutch city on climate change.
"Rules on how to meet the Kyoto protocol targets must be clarified," said Klaus Toepfer, undersecretary-general of the United Nations and executive director of the UN Environment Program.
The UN official also pointed to two other key components in the ratification of the Kyoto protocol and the showing of a generosity of spirit.
Government ministers on Monday started their round of high- level negotiations that are expected to strike an equitable deal on what to do to implement the Kyoto protocol that has committed signatory states to individual legally-binding reduction targets of greenhouse gas emissions.
The first week of the sixth conference of the parties to the United Nations convention on climate change was bogged down to bickering of national differences as the United States and the European Union were at loggerheads on such tricky issues as the trading of emission allowances.
The United States wanted countries to be able to offset their own emissions at home by spending less elsewhere on pollution- reducing projects in underdeveloped countries, such as planting new forests that can soak carbon dioxide from the air.
The Europeans, however, wanted a 50-percent ceiling on the trading of a country's obligation whereas the Americans, mindful of problems in ratifying the Kyoto protocol through a cost- sensitive Congress, have argued for unfettered trading of emission reduction targets.
The Kyoto protocol needs ratification from at least 55 countries and regions including the developed countries to be legally effective, in that these countries combined account for 55 percent of the global emission of greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide.
Up till now 30 countries, all from the developing world, have ratified the protocol.
Back in December 1997 governments agreed in Kyoto of Japan targets of cutting emissions of carbon-based gases by a total of 5. 2 percent from the 1990 level and the deadline for implementation of the protocol was set for between 2008 and 2012.
The European Union was committed by the protocol to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 8 percent; the United States was committed to cut by 7 percent and Japan, by 6 percent.
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