New target agreed for cutting world emissions
Pacific Rim leaders today agreed that the world needs to “slow, stop and then reverse” greenhouse gas emissions, and adopted goals on reducing energy intensity and reforestation as part of the effort.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard, as host of the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation summit, announced the Sydney Declaration of Climate Change, Energy Security and Clean Development, which he said reflected the seriousness of the body’s desire to address global warming while providing for economic growth.
“The world needs to slow, stop and then reverse the growth of global greenhouse gas emissions,” said the statement issued by APEC’s 21 leaders.
APEC members agreed to reduce “energy intensity” – the amount of energy needed to produce a unit of economic growth – 25% by 2030. Its inclusion was a nod to Australia, backed by the US, which wanted developed and developing nations to commit to a target.
The declaration also calls for increasing forest cover in the region by at least 50 million acres by 2020. Forests help absorb the greenhouse gases that cause global warming.
The goals are nonbinding in keeping with APEC’s voluntary, consensus-based approach.
The statement also affirmed that climate change negotiations should take place under United Nations’ auspices – a key demand of developing nations. Overall, the declaration calls for laying the groundwork for a new climate change agreement to replace the UN-backed Kyoto Protocol when it expires in 2012.
The leaders expressed strong support for a December UN meeting in Bali, Indonesia, to begin discussions on a successor to Kyoto, as well as a gathering of major emitters in the US later this month to be hosted by US President George W Bush.
The statement recognises “common but differentiated responsibilities” in combating climate change. The phrase means richer nations will have to bear more of the financial and other costs in cutting the carbon emissions that contribute to global warming.
APEC’s 21 members, which include major polluters the US, China, Russia and Japan, together account for 60% of global energy demand and pump out about the same share of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere.
