Climate focus turns to Beijing

By Fiona Harvey in London
Published: June 2 2009 01:32

China is the prime focus of international climate change negotiations beginning this week, with leading figures in the talks calling urgently on Beijing to co-operate in forging a new agreement on greenhouse gases.
The United Nations, the US and European governments have all stepped up their diplomatic efforts to woo Beijing in recent days, emolliently brushing aside the hardline stance it has taken. Beijing late last month called on rich countries to cut their emissions by 40 per cent by 2020, far more than any has agreed, and to give 0.5 pre cent to 1 per cent of their gross domestic product to poor countries to help them cope with climate change.

The proposal has been privately dismissed by western diplomats as posturing, but in public officials have been careful to adopt a conciliatory tone.
“The Chinese leadership have become very serious about looking at this issue [of global warming],” Ban Ki-moon, United Nations secretary-general, told the Financial Times. “China is now investing a lot in renewable energy to make its industry cleaner. They are building major nuclear power plants ... the way they have taken measures is very important.”
Todd Stern, US special envoy for climate change, said last week: “I don’t think that there’s any question that China and the other major economies have to be in the game. They’re doing a lot already, but they’re going to need to do more actions and commit to them and be able to quantify them.”
The reason for the concerted charm offensive is clear: China has overtaken the US as the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases. Its runaway growth has led to the world’s biggest programme of building coal-fired power stations.
But Beijing accepts no responsibility for curbing emissions. Under the 1997 Kyoto protocol, only industrialised nations must cut greenhouse gases.
Developed countries, particularly the US but also Japan and Europe, are demanding that China take on commitments in a successor treaty, now being negotiated.
These commitments need not be absolute cuts in emissions, but can be curbs on the growth of emissions.
Mr Ban also called on rich countries to provide substantial funds to poorer nations, which he said would be the “most important” factor.
“Clarity on finance will be the key in enabling success [at the talks],” Mr Ban said. But industrialised countries are reluctant to put figures on the aid they will give, seeing it as a bargaining chip.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009