Tough stand causes consternation among large developing countries, and discord threatens the future of the Kyoto protocol
Europe is taking the toughest negotiating stand it has ever adopted on global warming. At this week's UN climate talks in Durban, the bloc will depart from decades of "dovish" practice by insisting stiff conditions must be met by China and other developing countries if a global climate treaty is to be arranged.
The hardline stance has already caused consternation among developing countries at the talks, and the discord threatens the future of the Kyoto protocol.
But the bloc is determined not to back down, as officials are angry that the EU's goodwill on climate change has been taken for granted.
"It's very important that other major economies join the effort. It would not make sense for only the EU to take on a second commitment under the Kyoto protocol," said Joanna Mackowiak-Pandera, Poland's under-secretary of state for the environment.
Poland is in a key position at this year's talks; as holder of the revolving EU presidency, its ministers lead the bloc's delegation. They have led the sea-change in Europe's public attitude, which marks the biggest shift in stance in nearly 20 years of climate talks.
Pandera added: "We already have challenging, ambitious targets, so I think it's crucial that others also enter into the Kyoto protocol, which I know will not be easy."
At stake is the survival of the Kyoto protocol ? the only international treaty stipulating emissions cuts. The EU represents the last hope of large developed countries signing up to a continuation as the protocol's provisions expire in 2012.
Although developing countries are insisting on a "second commitment period" that would run until 2020, Japan, Russia and Canada, Europe's main partners in Kyoto, have abandoned the accord, and the US has ruled out signing up.
That leaves Europe in a head-to-head battle with emerging economies ? chiefly China, but also India, Brazil and this year's hosts, South Africa ? over what conditions the latter group must fulfil if there is to be a continuation of the treaty.
China has proposed that developed countries take on international legally binding commitments to cut emissions, but that developing countries should be allowed to submit weaker plans lacking the same legal force; these plans would be voluntary, or binding only at a national level.
That idea is backed by India, which is adamant that it will only take on emissions-cutting targets on a voluntary basis, without committing to a legal instrument.
But Europe's negotiators want much more. The Polish presidency is leading a group of member states that want to ensure conditions for a second commitment period include firm commitments to "legal parallelism", or the principle that if the EU signs up to an international legally binding treaty, developing countries do likewise.
"Different countries have different opinions, but in my view they should ratify a new agreement in a legally binding international form," said Pandera. "It should have international legally binding status, not just national plans, as national laws can be changed easily. Our view is that taking an international agreement will be much stronger and changes could be agreed only with other parties."
Europe's new stance is all the more remarkable because virtually since the start of the 20-year talks it has been seen as the leading "dove", seeking to smooth over differences between the rich and poor world, trying to draw the US back into the negotiations under the presidency of George Bush, and offering billions of euros of financial inducements to developing nations.
The bloc has the toughest carbon targets in the world, with a pledge of 20% cuts in emissions, compared with 1990 levels, by 2020, and an offer to increase that to 30% cuts if other countries join in.
On Wednesday, China's leading climate negotiator, Su Wei, told China Daily that he regarded Kyoto as a cornerstone of the climate talks.
He said: "I think EU is just shifting the goalpost from one place to another. This is actually not an efficient way to do things, because we need to accomplish the goals one by one.
"But since the EU is the group of countries who would seriously consider a second commitment period under Kyoto, developing countries are also open and ready to talk to them about how to address that issue."
The change in tone from Europe at this year's talks is partly down to the Polish presidency. Poland has been notably hardline in opposing stiffer emissions cuts, in part because of its heavily coal-dependent economy, and there is a degree of climate scepticism among prominent Polish politicians.
But the change also reflects anger among member states and EU officials over the reception given Europe's proposals, and at the waning power the EU has wielded at the long-running talks as other nations have taken its dovish stance for granted.
At the Copenhagen climate summit in 2009, the EU was pointedly left out of last-minute negotiations to forge a partial agreement, and officials were visibly flummoxed when the US led China, Brazil, India and South Africa in proclaiming a deal had been done without Europe.
The EU has also been stung by criticism from developing countries that it is not moving fast enough. The hardline stance is in part a reaction to that.
As officials privately point out, the EU's member states have offered to do more than any other rich nation. By contrast, Japan is seeking to water down its existing emissions-cutting targets, and the US has been actively blocking the ability of the green climate fund to disburse money to poor nations.
"Look at the US, what are they doing? Look at the other developed countries. No one is focusing on them. It's all about criticising Europe, but we have done the most," said one official who emphasised new conditions attached to an agreement were necessary in order to achieve real reductions in global emissions.
"Our position is about environmental integrity. If Europe is alone in the second commitment period, that will not reduce CO2 [globally] by a single tonne. So from an environmental point of view, we need the other major economies to reduce their emissions as well. If not now, when?"
If developing countries were concerned by this stance, the official said, they should be more concerned by the US position, and should place more emphasis on China's actions as the world's biggest emitter.
A spokesman from the Department of Energy and Climate Change said: "The EU is being more constructive than ever at this year's talks in order to make progress towards securing a legally binding agreement covering all parties. Our preference has long been for a parallel legal agreement covering all parties and this remains the EU's strong preference. But if other parties, particularly the largest economies, are not ready for this we need a timetable. We have said we are open to sign up to an extension of the Kyoto protocol so long as all other countries set out this timetable for signing up to a global deal by 2015 at the latest. The EU is showing significant flexibility, not hardening our position."
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/nov/30/europe-hardline-un-climate-talks
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