APEC countries bolster Kyoto process; turn back US-Australia bypass effort
09 Sep 2007
Sydney, Australia - Leaders of the world's fastest growing economies attending the APEC Summit today rejected attempts by Australia and the US to bypass the UN in negotiations to reduce climate damaging emissions, WWF said today.
"The developing country members of APEC have said clearly that the UN is the place where a new climate change agreement will be struck, said Greg Bourne, CEO of WWF-Australia. "This week's APEC Summit gives the upcoming UN climate conference in Bali additional momentum.
"It is clear that Australia, the US, and Canada must commit to real binding cuts in emissions to enable post-2010 negotiations in Bali to come to a fruitful conclusion," said Greg Bourne. "Those leaders carry the responsibility for taking such targets to Bali."
"President Bush and Prime Ministers Howard and Harper tried to lead the negotiations astray by dangling so-called aspirational goals in front of the other leaders as the only way forward," said Diane McFadzien, international climate policy expert at WWF, "But aspiring to stop dangerous climate change means that some industrialised countries commit to binding emission reductions, something they were not willing to do."
"This APEC Summit once again makes clear that the UN framework is the right place to move towards deeper emission reductions," said Diane McFadzien, "For example, the agreement expresses support to the most vulnerable countries to adapt to climate change, but the financing can be agreed only through an extension of the Kyoto Protocol."
According to WWF, negotiations for a binding post-2012 agreement must be launched in Bali to conclude by 2009. To keep warming well below the dangerous level of 2 degrees C, that agreement will need to ensure that global emissions peak before 2020, and that industrialized countries reduce their emissions by at least -30% by 2020 from 1990 levels.
WWF expects the over 100 Heads of State and Government speaking at the UN high-level meeting on 24 September in New York, to welcome the formal launch of the Bali negotiations.
More information
Jacqueline McArthur, communications manager, WWF-Australia
Mobile: 61 408626780
