U.N. climate talks make progress on Kyoto overhaul
By Gerard Wynn and Daniel Wallis
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Ministers at U.N. climate talks agreed on Friday to a review, ending in 2008, of the Kyoto Protocol, a step that could pave the way to a broader long-term fight against global warming, senior officials said.
The deal to review the effectiveness of the pact could open the way to widening Kyoto when the first period ends in 2012.
The ministers' agreement has a good chance of approval by the 189 countries attending the talks, the head of the U.N.'s climate change body, Yvo de Boer, told Reuters in an interview.
"Those ministers here are representing the larger constituency in the (plenary) meeting, so the fact that they've reached an agreement makes me quite confident that we'll be able to reach agreement in the plenary as well," de Boer said.
Organisers also reported progress with a Russian proposal to create a new mechanism to let new countries sign up for cuts in greenhouse gas emissions under Kyoto -- another of the big unresolved areas that could scupper the talks.
"We're ready to go to the plenary with the Russian proposal as well," said de Boer.
But German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel said the talks, which have focused on fighting climate change and aiding Africa, had achieved too little in combating warming that many fear could lead to famine, drought, heatwaves and rising seas.
NOT ENOUGH
"It's not enough, what we've reached in the conference," he said. "We have heard many things about national interests ... but relatively seldom about climate change".
Many backers of Kyoto want to review the protocol, partly to demonstrate that its caps on emissions are inadequate to slow the rise in temperature. That in turn could put pressure on outsiders such as the United States, China and India to join.
But poorer states say the rich must continue to take the lead beyond 2012, and U.S. President George W. Bush, who pulled out of Kyoto in 2001, says he has no plans to sign up for a scheme he views as an economic straitjacket.
"If we get the ... review done in 2008 we are well on our way for a new climate change regime after 2012," said Barbara Helfferich, spokeswoman for the European Commission. The talks are likely to last into the early hours of Saturday.
Earlier, de Boer dismissed environmentalists' complaints that the 6,000 bureaucrats at the talks had achieved too little.
"I think the conference has made very significant progress for developing countries," de Boer said, pointing to incentives to promote clean energy such as solar or wind power under a scheme that could channel $100 billion to poor nations by 2012.
He also said the talks had set principles for a fund meant to help developing nations adapt to climate change. The fund is expected to grow sharply but is now worth just $3 million -- less than the $4 million cost of staging the Nairobi talks.
"Rich countries should have achieved more at this conference and made more firm commitments to combat climate injustice," said Sharon Looremeta, a Kenyan Maasai leader of the environmental group Practical Action.
Kyoto obliges rich nations to cut emissions to 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. Kyoto nations account for 30 percent of all emissions of greenhouse gases and want a more global deal.
Reuters (IDS)