The New Nation - Internet Edition

Md. Masum Billah

Climate change leading to environmental hazards has become a growing concern across the globe. The developing countries are the worst sufferers of environmental hazards. Though developed countries are poised to a comparatively better situation in this regard, indirectly they are also affected by these evils. Sometimes the direct wrath of nature shows its fury even to the United States of America in the form of hurricane 'catrina'. Many European countries see their warmest winter and forest fire in Australia and in some other cold countries clearly manifest the dangerous turning of global climate threatening to grasp the whole humanity. So, the industrially developed countries don't have complacence to sit idle over the issue. Already caused damage to the poor countries need to be minimized with the direct help and cooperation of the industrially developed countries. This serious concern first practically sensitized the poor and developed countries in 1992 which led them to have a conference in Rio de Janeiro. Different climate initiatives such as the US-led 'big emitters' process the G8 and the Asia-Pacific Partnership for Clean Development and Climate, many environmental campaigners, the recent Asia- Pacific Economic Co-operation forum in Sydney which saw more that 20 nations agree to voluntary targets clearly show the global concern as well as consciousness of environmental pollution.

In line with these initiatives delegates from nearly 190 countries gathered for two weeks in Bali to discuss this global issue. A principal objective is to agree a 'Bali roadmap' a process leading to a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol, whose targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions expire 2012.Two-week meeting is officially described as the Thirteenth Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Third Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. In plain language , that makes it the thirteenth summit of countries signed up to the UN convention which dates from the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit of 1992 and the third meeting of countries inside the Kyoto Protocol since that came into force in February 2005. The UN convention commits the global community to 'avoiding dangerous climate change' while the protocol sets binding targets on greenhouse gas emissions for industrialized nations.

For a variety of reasons the actual cuts produced by 2012 will be much smaller. Many Kyoto countries are set to miss their targets by a long way. The European Union is heading efforts to secure a new set of targets that would reduce emissions from developed nation by 25-40% by 2020. Many countries richer and poorer, including the US, Canada and India, are not prepared to accept binding numerical emissions targets at this stage. The Bali roadmap is expected to launch negotiations that will conclude by 2009 with the establishment of an agreement that governs the climate change issue after 2012 when the Kyoto protocol will be phased out. The first option envisages 'A dialogue without prejudice to any future negotiations that shall complete its work in 2009 and report to the conference of parties at its fifteenth session which will be held in Copenhagen. All discussions focus on what is called 'Agenda focus item 4, titled Report of the co-facilitators of the dialogue on long term cooperative action to address climate change by enhancing implementation of the Convention. There was a formation of a close group of parties called Friends of the Chair' numbering forty.

UN Climate chief Yvo de Boer warned that deadlock between USA and European Union over emissions cuts threatened to derail talks aimed at launching negotiations for a new global warming pact . Washington has refused to accept language in a draft document suggesting that industrialized nations consider cutting emission by 25% to 40% by 2020 during upcoming negotiations for a successor to the Kyoto Protocol. UN. He says, " I'm very concerned about the pace of thins as a two week climate conference entered its final stretch. If we don't get working on the future, then the whole house of cards fails to pieces. My assessment is that is it not clearly crafted. We will have to wait and see where this goes." In the conference developing countries wanted to give the message that the industrially developed countries are mainly responsible for global warming and other natural calmatives related issues. Necessarily they must play the key role to minimize it as it is absolutely impossible to fully bring under control. In order to minimize it, the developed countries must finance the poor countries as it is a matter which concerns the whole humanity. Now the question arises how the developed countries will utilize and give the money to the poor nations. A clear cut way should have been finalized in the conference but it did not take place actually.

The devastation inflicted by recent Sidr in the coastal belt of Bangladesh must have given food for thought to the Bali Conference participants to raise the consciousness of all nations contributing to global warming. It has caused unlimited damage not only to Bangladesh but also to a vast majority of people belonging to many countries directly and indirectly as the rich nations who are diplomatically tied with us and our developing partners cannot sit idle in the this situation. They have to respond to our immediate needs leaving other areas unattended at least for the time being. Indirectly it means that it concerns all. The unprecedented level of humanitarian gestures to help our Sidr battered people proves the truth of this concern. Building more cyclone shelters along the coastal belt and planting more trees at the cost of extra budget incur extra expenditure for us involving our developing partners as well. Sidr and cyclone are the direct effect of while greenhouse gas emissions which claim the first priority to be discussed and implemented in the greater interest of the present population and the posterity.

(The writer works as a specialist in the BRAC Education Programme, PACE and regularly writes on various national and international issues.)