Climate talks see angry exchanges

The latest set of climate talks in Bonn are descending into a war of words, with anger erupting on both sides in debates between the richer nations, industrialising nations and those to feel the brunt of climate change impacts.

The UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres opened the meeting by calling for ambition, "ambition to support developing countries, ambition to mobilise finance and... ambition to decisively and tangibly reduce emissions according to what science demands".

There is growing concern over the inaction and ineffectiveness of the talks so far, with Greenpeace’s Tove Maria Ryding saying, "It's absurd to watch governments sit and point fingers and fight like little kids while the scientists explain about the terrifying impacts of climate change."

In the first meeting since the Durban conference back in December, it seems there is a growing ‘coalition of the unwilling’, with oil exporting countries, the United States and rapid indutrialisers India and China forming a coalition against action. The EU, small island states, and other poorer countries are those pushing for progress on the Durban Platform.

The disparity came to a head with a spat over the current chairman of the session, Surinamese representative Robert van Lierop. Suriname is a member of the AOSIS group of small island states, and China delegate Su Wei suggested that his position as interim chair put him in a conflict of interest; it is extremely unusual to question the impartiality of the chair and some would say this indicates the desperation reached in the negotiations.

China fears that the cooperation between developed and developing countries could push countries like China and India to make emissions cuts in the near future. They have long argued that historical emissions are the crucial factor in deciding who should cut emissions, but this argument is losing weight over the last few years; developing countries are fast catching up with the developed world in terms of emissions, and countries like China will be the largest emitters by some way in the coming years.

Whilst European countries are gradually reducing their emissions, developing countries like China are increasing emissions almost exponentially, with no slowing in sight. Unfortunately, China has a point, in that whilst some developed countries, particularly those in Europe have decreased emissions, other world powers like Japan, The USA, Russia and Canada have rejected the Kyoto protocol and carried on their increases in emissions.

Alden Meyer from the Union of Concerned Scientists says, “Both sides are right, the US and Japan and Russia aren't taking their responsibilities seriously; yet the developed countries are right in that you can't rebuild the firewall and pretend that the future for China is the same as the future for Bangladesh,"

No progress has been made on several other issues. The $10 billion funding for developing countries to ‘green’ their economies for the 2009-2012 period is nearly finished, and no discussion has taken place as to how this funding will be continued.

The next meeting will likely take place in Bangkok, before the process moves on towards Qatar in December for the main COP meeting.