Tuvalu, new world power

• 14 years ago (2009-12-11)
• David Flin

Africa 303 Asia 851 North America 999

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In , the island state of has proposed two major agenda items that have brought about an effective suspension of activities by both the Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC (COP) and the Conference of Parties Acting as the Meeting of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP). has insisted on a formal debate at COP and CMP regarding its agenda items.

The two agenda items proposed by Tuvalu are: first, a new “sister” Protocol to the UNFCCC, under which developing countries could take on voluntary but binding reduction targets; and second, a second commitment period to the Kyoto protocol.

So two proposals, two sets of stiff resistance and two suspended meetings. As of Thursday night both meetings were still stalled.

There is another more practical reason for ’s insistence on a full debate. Various Annex I Parties have called for the two negotiating tracks at (the two Ad-Hoc Working Groups) to be merged into a single track that will produce a single outcome, rather than two agreements (one for Kyoto Parties, the other for everyone including the ).

Developing countries, and particularly the least developed and island nations, are dead-set against this. They point out that the Kyoto Protocol is the only legally-binding instrument dealing with emissions reductions in existence, and fear that a “merged” negotiation would effectively end up replacing with something that doesn’t safeguard their future as well as is intended to.

’s insistence on a full discussion of its CMP proposal is therefore designed, on a practical level, to ensure that the Kyoto Protocol remains central to the discussion and therefore protected. Cynics might suggest that is managing to make enemies on all sides; its COP proposal alienates major developing countries while the CMP proposal is designed to frustrate the designs of Annex I Parties for a single-text outcome here in . But from the tone of the debates in both COP and CMP, and the Parties that lined up to support , it’s clear that the G77 bloc of more than 130 developing countries is beginning to show signs of strain. Other island nations and many African countries expressed vocal support for ’s stance in both the COP and CMP sessions. This may not worry Annex I nations, who are used to being opposed, but leading non Annex I Parties such as India and China will not be used to being tested as sternly by their own colleagues.