Slow progress forecast for upcoming negotiations at Bonn

Progress towards any sort of climate treaty has been slow and looks to continue in such a way. There has been some division between rich and poor nations with regards to which path to take to reduce carbon emissions and solve other issues and this is making it difficult to come to an agreement regarding the expiration of the Kyoto Protocol and the instatement of a new treaty to follow it.

Last year at Copenhagen no binding treaty was established or agreed upon but hopefully there will be greater success at the Conference of Parties (COP16) in Cancun this November. It has become the mindset of many however that Cancun will be a stepping stone towards a treaty the following year and that no legally binding treaty will be agreed upon in November. WWF Global Climate Initiative chief Gordon Shepherd claims:

"Cancun won't work if the world expects an all-or-nothing agreement, but it can be a solid stepping stone towards legal framework for climate action in climate summit next year."

This means that the Bonn talks will also be looking to 2011 to establish a treaty and it is the opinion of some that because of this outlook progress is slow. Giorgio Indarto, Civil Society Forum's climate change coordinator, has a cynical outlook for Bonn:

"After the failure of the Copenhagen talks, negotiations are a joke. There is no urgency in forcing countries to take ambitious steps to tackle climate change."

Indonesia has stated that it will focus on bilateral deals at Bonn in preparation for the conference in November. Indonesian chief negotiator Rachmat Witoelar claims, "We cannot expect rich nations to agree to binding treaties." As a result Indonesia has taken to forming agreements alongside the Bonn talks such as a US$1 billion deal with Norway to prevent deforestation in Indonesian forests and prevent subsequent carbon emissions. It appears some countries are making more progress on Bonn's sidelines that in the talks themselves. Rachmat Witoelar expresses that:

"Of course, we will push for a global deal for the sake of the planet, but we can't wait any longer. We will seek bilateral cooperation to implement climate programs."

It is evident that the lack of progress at Copenhagen and the problems forged between rich and poor countries is affecting the subsequent progress being made.
The upcoming Bonn climate talks in August are the last before COP16. They aim to lay a foundation for discussions in Cancun but many are sceptical about the progress being made. Talks have made slow progress and despite the Bonn talks aiming to lay foundations for Cancun the August talks will have little effect unless all countries begin to seriously commit themselves to the formation of a climate treaty.

 

Author: Rachael Bristow | Climate Action

Image: adopt a negotiator | Flickr