New climate pact no substitute for Kyoto

NAIROBI – The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has cautiously welcomed a new pact between the United States and five Asia-Pacific nations to curb greenhouse gases, but said it was no replacement for the Kyoto Protocol on climate change.

On Thursday, the United States, Australia, China, India, Japan and South Korea announced a new non-binding compact to reduce emissions at a regional forum in Laos. “If it leads to real and meaningful reductions in greenhouse gases and a decrease in the kinds of energy shocks which damage in particular the fragile economies of poor countries, then it is a welcome step forward and a clear signal that we now have a truly global consensus on the need to fight climate change,” UNEP chief Klaus Toepfer said in a statement.”It is important to mention that this new initiative is not a substitute for the Kyoto Protocol, its legally binding emission reductions and its various flexible mechanisms including emission trading and the Clean Development Mechanism,” he added in the statement released at UNEP headquarters in Nairobi.Toepfer said the treaty indicated that countries like the United States, which has shunned the Kyoto Protocol, are “now equally aware” that continued use of fossil fuels would increase the burden on the environment in future.”They now recognise that a more diversified fuel supply that includes technologies like cleaner coal and renewables alongside greater energy efficiency makes economic as well as environmental sense,” he added.”Rapidly developing economies like China and India need new and more efficient energy technologies if they are to lift their populations out of poverty without compromising the environment or destabilising the global economy,” Toepfer added.The new initiative does not have enforcement standards or a specific timeframe for signatories to cut emissions, unlike the 1997 Kyoto Protocol which the United States and Australia have refused to ratify.Areas of eventual cooperation included the use of clean coal, nuclear power, and wind and solar energy.The six will also jointly develop technologies that “promote economic growth while enabling significant reductions in greenhouse gas intensities”.- Nampa-AFP”If it leads to real and meaningful reductions in greenhouse gases and a decrease in the kinds of energy shocks which damage in particular the fragile economies of poor countries, then it is a welcome step forward and a clear signal that we now have a truly global consensus on the need to fight climate change,” UNEP chief Klaus Toepfer said in a statement.”It is important to mention that this new initiative is not a substitute for the Kyoto Protocol, its legally binding emission reductions and its various flexible mechanisms including emission trading and the Clean Development Mechanism,” he added in the statement released at UNEP headquarters in Nairobi.Toepfer said the treaty indicated that countries like the United States, which has shunned the Kyoto Protocol, are “now equally aware” that continued use of fossil fuels would increase the burden on the environment in future.”They now recognise that a more diversified fuel supply that includes technologies like cleaner coal and renewables alongside greater energy efficiency makes economic as well as environmental sense,” he added.”Rapidly developing economies like China and India need new and more efficient energy technologies if they are to lift their populations out of poverty without compromising the environment or destabilising the global economy,” Toepfer added.The new initiative does not have enforcement standards or a specific timeframe for signatories to cut emissions, unlike the 1997 Kyoto Protocol which the United States and Australia have refused to ratify.Areas of eventual cooperation included the use of clean coal, nuclear power, and wind and solar energy.The six will also jointly develop technologies that “promote economic growth while enabling significant reductions in greenhouse gas intensities”.- Nampa-AFP