core sector communique

U.S. Climate Change Envoy Prepares for Talks

By Charlene Porter

Staff Writer

Washington - International cooperative actions to mitigate climate change will be up for discussion when a major international meeting convenes in Durban, South Africa, November 28 through December 9. The chief U.S. negotiator, Todd Stern, expects that this year's session on the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will build on progress made in the last two years.

In a November 22 press briefing, Stern said the agreement that emerged from a meeting in Cancún, Mexico, in 2010 was "a solid commitment by all the parties - nobody takes it lightly," even though it is not a legally binding act.

Some discussions will take an even longer view, Stern said, looking at the possibilities for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions after 2020. The U.S. envoy said the United States' negotiators need to know the details of any such agreement before they'd agree to adherence. The United States would insist that any long-range commitment "fully applies to all significant countries," Stern said.

Under the Kyoto Protocol, developing world countries were not bound to the same targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions so that their economies might continue to expand. Concerns about curtailing U.S. economic growth and the different standards for different countries were among the reasons cited by the Bush administration when it withdrew support from the agreement in 2001.

Nations that are parties to the Kyoto Protocol will be working in Durban to decide whether they will draw up an extension agreement to follow on the 2012 end date of the Kyoto agreement. Since the United States is not a signatory to the protocol, it is not involved in the Conference of the Parties (COP). Given that, Stern declines to comment on where that negotiation might go.

Stern noted other provisions of the Cancún agreement that he considers to be solid achievements toward containing climate change. Both developed and developing countries make comparable commitments on actions they'll undertake to ease greenhouse gas emissions and turn back the thermostat on global warming. The agreement outlines a system of transparency which, Stern said, would keep nations on track to make the GHG reductions they had pledged. The Cancún agreement also includes provisions on how to reduce deforestation in developing countries and establishes a climate technology center. In the event that adverse effects of climate change - such as rising seas - are already occurring in some low-lying countries, the Cancún agreement also spells out proposals on promoting international cooperation and action to help these countries and their citizens adapt to a changing environment.

Another provision of the Cancún agreement calls for establishing a Green Fund to help lesser-developed nations adopt energy-efficient technologies and adapt to adverse consequences of climate change as they occur. Stern said the United States is "a strong supporter of the basic concept" and is optimistic that an agreement on the final details of the mechanism can be reached in Durban. Stern also made a special point to dispel misconceptions about the fund that are circulating in the media.

"It is not a $100 billion green fund," Stern said. Rather, the fund is expected to attract donors from private entities, governments, international banks and other sources.

Overall, Stern said he is optimistic that the Durban meeting could produce a forward-looking agreement, "one that is balanced across the issues and makes good progress on all those issues."

(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State.)