Bangkok Global Climate Talks Off To Slow Start

Originally published April 25, 2008

Keywords: Bali Road Map, Climate

Convention, Kyoto Protocol, climate change talks,

CO2 emissions, December 2009 Conference of the

Convention and Protocol Parties, Framework Convention, Bali

Action Plan

The momentum gained in December 2007 from the adoption of

the "Bali Road Map" by Parties to both the Climate

Convention and the Kyoto Protocol was not evident at the

climate change talks held during the first week in April in

Bangkok, Thailand. The talks are aimed at formulating

international agreement on curbing carbon dioxide

(CO2) emissions, primarily from specified sources,

worldwide. However, the dual meetings, ending in the wee hours

of April 5, gave every indication that actual negotiations are

unlikely to begin in 2008, making it difficult to foresee

concrete results in time for the December 2009 Conference of

the Convention and Protocol Parties in Copenhagen, Denmark.

This should concern US businesses, faced as they are with

federal and state legislative proposals that regulate only US

business but leave unaddressed the unfettered growth of

CO2 emissions by developing countries.

The "two-track process" initiated in Bali called

for a continuation at the March 31-April 4 Bangkok conference

of talks by the Kyoto Protocols Ad Hoc Working Group with

respect to the post-2012 commitment period and targets

applicable solely to industrialized countries other than the

United States. Those talks called the "Kyoto track"

process were held in conjunction with a new, but separate, Ad

Hoc Working Group established at Bali to negotiate a global

"decision" to include not only the United States but

also all CO2-emitting countries under the Framework

Convention on Climate Change called the "Convention

track" process.

Before Bangkok, the Kyoto Ad Hoc Working Group met four

times. The Bangkok meeting was the first half of a two-part

fifth session, with the second half scheduled for June. Rather

than negotiating, the Group held a three-day workshop,

primarily to analyze the "means" available to the

Kyoto Protocols Annex I Parties (i.e., developed countries) to

achieve yet to be determined post-2012 targets. The Group

concluded that while the Protocols existing mechanisms of

emission trading, joint implementation, and the clean

development mechanism could be "improved," each of

them will be available post-2012. Yet even though making such

improvements could complicate and delay negotiations, they

nevertheless plan to...