Sara:
As I mentioned a couple of days ago, these summits can be a roller coaster of ups and downs, with political winds blowing every which way!
After Monday’s euphoria when Australia ratified the Kyoto Treaty, questions are now being asked about why – with the political capital up their sleeves – the Aussies are not enthusiastically waving the flag for the widely-accepted proposal here that rich country signatories to Kyoto assent to 25-40 per cent cuts in greenhouse gas emissions as part of negotiations towards a post-Kyoto deal. Can their star be waning already?!
And then the good news came through! The US Congress has taken a big step (will it ultimately become a giant leap?) towards mandatory climate legislation. A powerful Senate committee this week approved a bill to create binding limits on US greenhouse gas emissions. So we have a bizarre situation in which 25 US states have joined regional plans to cut emissions, US legislation is now in the offing – all of it in stark contrast to the US delegation’s continuing game of hardball here in Bali.
Who said the politics of climate was dull?
Herry
I am now in full swing and learning lots. I attended a session where the Ministry of Agriculture in my country of Indonesia unpacked the government’s plan for helping us to adapt to climate change, which was extremely helpful. And via audio conference was Jeffrey Sachs, from Colombia University, who outlined why poor people are more vulnerable to climate change. He made the telling comment that many solutions put forward by experts are quite simply not affordable in the poor communities most at risk. This is so true.
We also addressed in this seminar the need for immediate funding for accessing clean energy, avoiding deforestation and the imperative that adaptation (helping people cope with the effects of climate change) be prioritised.
It is good to know that next week here in Bali Tearfund is releasing a report on adaptation. Its basic message is that adaptation must no longer be the poor cousin of cutting emissions and rich countries should be legally bound to help clear up the mess that their industrialisation is causing now…