INFORM-ACTION
Issue
Number 41 - December
2001
Climate Change Campaign Update
Government
Ministers from around the world met in Marrakesh, Morocco,
in late October and early November to finalise the rules which
will govern the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. The Marrakesh
Accords effectively completed the ground work for the Protocol
and the stage is now set for countries to ratify the Protocol
and bring it into force. It has taken ten years to reach this
point. The Protocol will only take effect when it is ratified
by at least 55 countries accounting for at least 55 percent
of developed country emissions of carbon dioxide in 1990. It
is hoped that this target will be reached by September 2002
when the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development takes place
in Johannesburg.
The
withdrawal of the USA from the Kyoto Protocol is a huge blow
to the Earth Community. However, the Protocol can enter into
force without this country - the European Union, Japan, Russia
and Canada must ratify to achieve this end. The Australian
Government has not committed to ratification. The Government
has stated two reasons for its hesitation in proceeding to
ratification:
- the withdrawal
of the USA weakens the Protocol and renders it ineffective;
- developing nations
are not being required to adopt targets for reducing greenhouse
gas emissions and that this is unfair to those nations who
must adopt targets.
These
are not valid reasons.
The
USA Withdrawal
The
withdrawal of the USA is a major blow to the effectiveness
of the Kyoto Protocol but it should not be used by the Australian
Government as a reason to withhold ratification. In fact, the
Protocol is not being abandoned because of the USA withdrawal.
The negotiations at Marrakesh demonstrate strong commitment
from many nations. If the USA was allowed to derail the process
it would take years to get to this same point and there is
just not time for this. The problem is too serious and immediate
to allow the world's greatest polluter to hold the rest of
the world back. The excuses offered by the USA are hollow and
simply mask the fact that the Bush Administration has links
to interests hostile to the Protocol.
The
Developing Nations
The
developing nations were never included in the reduction targets
at this stage of climate change negotiations. The foundation
of the Kyoto agreement was based on the acceptance by the world's
biggest polluting nations that they would take the first
step and meet specific reduction targets because they created
the problem! The fact is that it is the developed, industrialised
nations that have contributed to 80% of the problem and continue
to do so.
To raise
the issue of the participation of developing nations now as
an impediment to ratification is to give a misleading slant
on the original intention of the place such nations play in
the overall process.
For
more detail on two these issues see the Eco-justice
page.
Australia
is part of the Asia-Pacific region. Many small, low-lying nations
make up part of this region and are at serious risk from the
impacts of global warming. We must not retreat into a selfish,
isolationist position on this issue. The common good of all
confronts us and we have a moral responsibility of be in solidarity
with nations facing the worst. The SAO has an excellent video
on global warming and the fate of Pacific Islands - it is called Rising
Waters. Please borrow this, watch it, pray about it
and take action!
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