APEC to Copenhagen – Updates on China’s progress
Posted on 16. Nov, 2009 by Fontane Lau in China
APEC - Where Obama met Hu and soon enough again in China (Photo credit: Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP)
See English below…
刚刚于新加坡圆满举行为期两日的亚洲经贸合作组织会议。在气候变化的问题上，有不少的讨论。来自21个成员国的元首，在11月15日发表联合声明，承诺合力于哥本哈根举行的联合国气候大会中达至进取的成果。一众国家元首却没有为2050年达至减排50%作出任何草拟声明。可是，要求一个进取的谈判成果，却欠缺具约束力的目标，甚至只要求一个具政治约束力、而非大家一直坚持要取得的具法律约束力的公约/议定书，笔者确实有点担忧这次哥本哈根会议能达至什么成果。需知道有决策及通过公约的气候变化峰会是一年一度，错过了2009年的话，要是在2010年底才再聚首一堂，采纳具法律约束力的公约/议定书，2012年京都议定书第一个承诺期届满后的安排，各国不一定有能力于本国作出不同的政策及执行上的转变及适应。
各国于这次 APEC的联合声明中未有加入减排目标，是避开了全球关注的问题，因为害怕谈判因而中断。纵然APEC 执行总裁 Michael Tay 认为为了缔造可持续的经济增长，气候变化是其中一个需要努力寻求的环节。其中，他认为提升能源效益，分享最佳的经验跟科技，均能达至这个目标；另外，APEC也正在研究促进环保产品及服务的方法。毕竟这个以发展经济为基调的会议，难免会避开具争议性的问题。
在报导上看到中方的代表一再重申，发展中国家不需要订下具约束力的减排目标，因为这是发达国家应负的责任。另外，胡锦涛主席于 APEC 会议上表明气候变化是人类现正面对的重大挑战，需要国际通力合作；中国愿意提供各方面的支持，务求于哥本哈根的气候大会上，达至一个公平及合理的成果。另外，中国的外交部部长杨洁篪重申中国的立场，表明要求各国不能忘掉<<京都议定书>>等等的联合国协议中，要求发达国肩负起的历史责任，他们过去的严重污染，现在需要积极减排，因为这是建基于 「共同但有区分」的原则。
其实这些只不过是原地踏步，各国仍然不愿意立时作出针对气候变化的应对行动，在哥本哈根的会议上，我们并不容许就这样让充满气的皮球这样泄气，往后要再充气的话，将要花更大的力气，还有更沉重的代价。
Nov 14 – 15 marked the days that APEC took place in Singapore. During the meetings, climate change is inevitably a key issue addressed by the ministers. On Nov 15, leaders of the 21 member states made a joint declaration indicated that they are committed to have an ambitious deal at COP 15 in Copenhagen. Unfortunately, there was no specific emission reduction target mentioned in the declaration, for instance, they did not include the reduction target of 50% by 2050 (against 1990 level). However, there is no way closer to any ambitious deal without numbers, leaders are making their minds to come up with a politically binding deal, and walking away from having a legally binding deal is way behind what we could accept as ambitious and binding. I do worry of the outcome given the current momentum shared around the globe. There’s simply not enough time to come up with the real deal by end of 2010, where only couple of years left before the 1st commitment period of Kyoto Protocol expires, within such short timeframe, I doubt if national mitigation and adaptation measures could be rolled out.
Obviously, leaders avoided climate change target in APEC meeting was due to the threat of shut down in negotiation. Michael Tay, Executive Director of APEC, believes that climate change is a core issue when considering a sustainable economic growth, and he believes that improving energy efficiency and sharing of experience and technology will help achieving a sustainable growth. A regional economic forum seeks to enhance the trade of green goods and services is logical, yet we need stronger determination in order to combat climate change.
China’s position was repeated once again that developing nations don’t have to set up any legally binding carbon emission targets, because it is developed nations’ responsibilities. President Hu expressed in the APEC meeting that climate change is a real challenge to all mankind, which requires international cooperation. He continued that China is willing to provide all sorts of support, in order to come up with a fair and reasonable deal. Besides, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Yang, Jiechi mentioned that every country should not forget about what came up in the Kyoto Protocol and other United Nations treaties that developed nations should take up their own historical responsibilities of being the big polluters in the past, which is out of the “common but differentiated responsibilities” principle.
However, all these expressions did not lead to much progress in the negotiation on combating climate change. In Copenhagen, we will not be satisfied with a paper over treaty, watering down the commitment now will give us more pain and greater cost to remedy in future.