New report to break deadlock in climate talks

Rich countries have a ‘double duty’ to act

A new report launched today could help break the deadlock at the heart of the UN climate talks currently underway in Bonn, Germany. It spells out who is going to cut emissions and who is going to pay.

The Oxfam report, ‘Hang Together or Separately? – How Global Cooperation is Key to a Fair and Adequate Climate Deal at Copenhagen’, outlines a fair way to deliver the emissions cuts that science says are needed to avoid catastrophic climate change.

There is a growing global call for developed countries to collectively cut their emissions by at least 40 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020, with a majority of these reductions occurring domestically. Today’s report spells out for the first time how much individual countries need to cut their emissions by to meet this target, based on their contribution to the problem and their economic position, and shows that no rich country is anywhere near delivering their fair share of the reductions needed.

For example, Oxfam recommends that New Zealand reduce emissions by 40.6 per cent by 2020, while the Japan must deliver 56 per cent cuts and Russia must deliver a 20 per cent reduction.

“The deadlock threatening these talks must be broken if we are to have any hope of avoiding a human catastrophe,” said Barry Coates, Executive Director of Oxfam New Zealand. ”The developed countries got us into this mess and they must front up to their responsibility to provide the funding and the clean technology to get us out of it.

“That means they have a double duty – to deliver major emissions reductions at home and provide the money that developing countries need to start tackling emissions too.”

UN negotiations have been stalled over arguments about who moves first and furthest. The Kyoto Protocol puts the onus on the developed nations (Annex 1 countries) to accept binding targets for reductions. However, even before the reductions have been made to meet Kyoto obligations, developed countries are now saying that the richer developing countries, notably China, also need to commit to emissions reductions.

Oxfam suggests a possible pathway out of this impasse. While all countries hang together and simultaneously move to a low-carbon future, the international agency proposes overall emissions cuts in developing countries of 30 per cent below business as usual by 2020. However, they need help from developed countries to make this happen.

The report lays out a new Global Mitigation Finance Mechanism, which would use money from the sale of carbon permits to enable developing countries to reduce poverty and progress development whilst contributing to global emissions reductions. The world’s poorest countries, such as Uganda and India, would receive 100 per cent of the funding they need to shift to a low-carbon development path. However, more advanced developing economies such as Brazil and China would be expected to fund a proportion of the costs, depending on their economic capabilities.

“Oxfam estimates that at least US$150 billion is needed every year to fund both adaptation and mitigation action in developing countries. This is a relatively small amount compared with the cost of inaction – which economist Sir Nicolas Stern estimates could be as much as 5-20 per cent of global GDP – and a small fraction of the trillions of dollars that was found to bail out rich country banks,” said Coates.

Rich countries are responsible for three quarters of greenhouse gas emissions currently in the atmosphere but it is the world's poorest people who are being hit first and hardest by a changing climate. In Africa, changes to rainfall are already affecting food production and rising temperatures are boosting the spread of disease.

“Emission reductions are needed across the globe but only rich countries have the means to make this happen. A global solution is needed that uses money generated in new ways and guarantees funds for low-carbon development in poor countries,” said Coates.

“Without exception, all rich country governments are failing in their duty to protect their citizens from catastrophic climate change. Acting now will save money and save lives,” said Coates.

New Zealand negotiators came under fire last week for failing to announce a mid-term target for emissions reductions, despite all countries having undertaken to bring a target to negotiations in Bonn. New Zealand and Russia are the only two countries that didn’t do so. Each day, a ‘Fossil of the Day’ award is made by the Climate Action Network (a coalition of over 450 organisations worldwide) to countries who perform worst during the negotiations. New Zealand was not only 2nd worst on June 2 for not announcing their mid-term emissions target, but shared 2nd place with Japan yesterday for trying to remove the numbers for aggregate Annex 1 targets.

Coates concluded, “New Zealand’s reputation is at risk in these negotiations. We are rapidly moving from a reasonably progressive role to one of the laggards. This not only affects our voice in the negotiations, it also positions New Zealand as a high climate change polluter to the broader public. Our Pacific neighbours, other vulnerable developing countries and our exporters are at risk. Oxfam urges the government to submit to reductions of 40 per cent from 1990 levels by 2020 – this is the target that is demanded by the science, by the majority of the public and by the conclusions of this report.”

Notes

• ‘Hang Together or Separately? – How Global Cooperation is Key to a Fair and Adequate Climate Deal at Copenhagen’ is available in the Oxfam’s website:

http://www.oxfam.org.nz/resources/onlinereports/bp128_hang_together_separately_english_110609.pdf

• The report outlines what level of emissions reductions individual rich countries need to make to contribute their fair share of the effort needed to deliver on this target: Europe must cut emissions by 44 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020 – with the bulk of the cuts occurring domestically. It is currently committed to a 20-30 per cent reduction. The US must deliver 45 per cent cuts, whereas the climate bill currently making its way through the House of Representatives proposes up to a 14 per cent cut in emissions. Japan, which has today announced a 7 per cent reduction, must deliver a 56 per cent reduction, while Russia, which has yet to set a mid-term target, must deliver a 20 per cent reduction in emissions. Australia, which has committed to a 25 per cent cut in emissions, would need to deliver reductions of 40 per cent. Canada, whose commitments are equivalent to a 3 per cent drop in emissions on 1990 levels by 2020, would need to deliver a cut of 43 per cent.

ENDS

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