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A2 Climate talks go from binding
UP FRONTTuesday 8 December 2015 targets to ‘name and shame’
Paris: KARL RITTER
Associated Press
Kerry joins talks; UN warns of climate doom LE BOURGET, France (AP) — It’s clear at this point that
even if the international climate accord being nego-
KARL RITTER Kerry said that even with- lasting accord yet. tiated in suburban Paris becomes legally binding, it
ANGELA CHARLTON out binding targets the The talks are focused on re- won’t include punitive measures like trade sanctions or
Associated Press deal could change the ducing emissions of carbon embargoes on straggler countries that fail to meet their
LE BOURGET, France (AP) way world business thinks dioxide and other green- commitments.
— The United Nations sec- about energy. house gases, primarily by The only penalty for falling short on efforts to fight glob-
retary-general called for a “I have absolute confi- shifting from oil, coal and al warming would be failing in front of the whole world
clean energy revolution to dence in the ability of capi- gas to cleaner sources of to achieve their goals.
avoid a “climate catastro- tal to move where the sig- energy. Fossil fuels still meet And that’s not necessarily a bad thing, many analysts
phe” as talks on a global nal of the marketplace says about 80 percent of the say. In international diplomacy, peer pressure and the
warming pact entered ‘go’ after Paris,” he said. world’s energy demand, risk of losing face can be powerful motivations for a
their final week Monday Foreign and environment though the share of renew- country to keep a promise, particularly on a high-pro-
with crunch issues on mon- ministers joined the talks able energy including hy- file issue like climate change.
ey and burden-sharing yet after lower-level negotia- dro, solar and wind power “Meeting national emissions pledges will emerge as
to be resolved. tors who met last week de- is growing, particularly in a key measure of international moral and diplomatic
One of them, however, ap- livered a draft agreement electricity generation. standing after a Paris agreement, with countries reluc-
peared to be untangling with multiple options left India and other major de- tant to flout their targets and risk being treated as pa-
riahs,” said Paul Bledsoe, a former Clinton White House
US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks at the Mashable/UN Foundation “Earth to Paris” summit at climate adviser.
Le Petit Palais in Paris, France, on the sidelines of the COP21, the UN climate change conference, Some countries led by the European Union still insist
Monday, Dec. 7, 2015. that governments accept legally binding targets to
reduce greenhouse gas pollution in the Paris agree-
(Mandel Ngan/Pool Photo via AP) ment, which is supposed to be adopted at the end of
this week. But that’s a no-go for the U.S. for political
as the European Union open. veloping countries insist on reasons. So the negotiations are increasingly focused
softened its insistence that their right to use some fos- on creating transparency rules to determine whether
countries’ targets to limit Warning that “the clock is sil fuels to advance their countries actually follow through on their pledges.
carbon pollution need to economies — just like West- The idea is to ensure that even if the targets aren’t
be legally binding, some- ticking toward climate ca- ern nations have done binding internationally, countries would have a bind-
thing U.S. negotiators reject since the Industrial Revolu- ing obligation to report on whether they are achieving
because of opposition in tastrophe,” U.N. Secretary- tion. They argue the West their national goals, which could turn into a potentially
the Republican-controlled therefore is historically re- humiliating experience if they’re not.
Congress. General Ban Ki-moon told sponsible for raising levels “Three words: name and shame,” said Li Shuo, a cli-
“We need the United States of carbon dioxide in the mate policy expert at Greenpeace China.
on board and we have to ministers the world expects atmosphere. Essentially, the system that is emerging is one with clear
find a solution,” EU Climate “India is here to ensure that rules but no mechanism to punish those who break
Commissioner Miguel Arias more from them than “half- rich countries pay back them, like playing a soccer match without a referee.
Canete told reporters on their debt for overdraft that “Everything happens in the open in the stadium,” Li
the sidelines of the confer- measures.” they have drawn on the said. “So if someone fouls another player, even if he
ence. “We understand the carbon space,” Indian En- doesn’t get a red card, he will be booed by the audi-
concerns they have be- “Your work here this week vironment Minister Prakash ence.” So does that actually work in international rela-
cause of the political situa- Javadekar said. tions? Isn’t the incentive to ignore the rules, if it entails
tion they have in the Con- can help eradicate pov- The Paris agreement would some competitive advantage, greater than the fear of
gress.” be the first to ask all coun- being publicly called out for foul play?
Many Republicans question erty, spark a clean energy tries to rein in their emissions; There are no easy answers. But there are examples of
whether climate change is earlier pacts only required international agreements without binding rules that
happening and oppose revolution and provide jobs, wealthy nations to do so. nonetheless have had an impact on how countries
emissions limits out of con- How to define countries’ behave, according to environmental law expert Dan
cern that it would hurt U.S. opportunities and hope for evolving responsibilities as Bodansky of Arizona State University.
industry and jobs. their economies grow is the In a recent academic article, Bodansky wrote that
Upon arrival in France, U.S. tomorrow,” he said. biggest challenge in the the 1975 Helsinki Declaration on human rights was suc-
Secretary of State John Paris talks. q cessful despite its non-legal nature, “because of its
Touching on the sensitive is- regular review conferences ... which focused interna-
tional scrutiny on the Soviet bloc’s human rights perfor-
sue of who should do what, mance.”
Conversely, the 1997 climate pact known as the Kyoto
Ban said wealthy nations Protocol failed despite having binding emissions tar-
gets for wealthy nations. The U.S. never joined that
must agree to lead, while pact in part because the targets were binding. And
when Canada realized it wasn’t meeting its targets, it
“developing countries just dropped out.
“Even having legally binding targets is no guarantee
need to assume increas- that countries do what they’ve promised to do,” said
Elliot Diringer of the Center for Climate and Energy Solu-
ing responsibility in line with tions, an environmental think tank in Arlington, Virginia.
Peer pressure, on the other hand, often influences
their capabilities.” countries to change their positions in the U.N. climate
talks.q
The Paris conference is the
21st time world govern-
ments have met to seek
a joint solution to climate
change — and is aiming at
the most ambitious, long-
