Dar es Salaam, Tanzania - Climate change negotiations are becoming like a Shakespearean tragedy, with betrayal piled on broken promises, said civil society groups from across the world preparing for the annual climate summit, scheduled for Durban, South Africa, next month.

'Rich countries have long promised to take the lead on reducing emissions but are now insisting on shifting the burden onto developing countries,” said Lim Li Lin, legal expert of Third World Network (TWN).

Lim observed: “In good faith, developing countries have proposed to reduce five gigatonnes of emissions. Rich countries have proposed just four gigatonnes of their own reductions, and with the loopholes on accounting rules they want, they actually are proposing closer to zero reductions. In Panama it looks like a rowing boat with all the oars and effort only on one side.'

Meena Raman, climate campaigner of Friends of the Earth (FOE), Malaysia, charged that the US and other developed countries were seeking a new voluntary system to replace the legally binding Kyoto Protocol and wanted to rewrite the climate convention to shift the burden onto developing countries instead

“They also continue to block text on long-term finance so we can't get agreement on how the world will pay for climate action,' said Raman as analysts assessed the state of the climate talks before the forthcoming summit.

'The denial and back peddling of agreed commitments by rich countries as well as the delay and blocking tactics on important issues only serve to lock in a pathway towards 5°C of warming and disaster for millions of people,' Raman added.

According to Lim, what's needed is for countries like those in the EU to recognise “the good faith offerings of developing countries”, such as the significant emission reductions countries like China, India and Brazil were proposing, and “make good faith offerings of their own.”

“That means binding emission cuts under the Kyoto Protocol, and not joining the US in its race to the bottom,' Lim said.

A policy officer at the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), Michele Maynard, has said that Africa needs an agreement in Durban on the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol and not the lowest common denominator where “everyone-does-nothing-so-everyone-can-agree”.

'South Africa as Chair of the UN climate conference this year in Durban has a big responsibility to the peoples of Africa and the world to ensure an inclusive, transparent and democratic process, unlike what happened in Cancun and Copenhagen,” Maynard emphasised.

Meanwhile, the Group of 77 and China was positive about the work achieved as the last round of UN climate talks before the annual climate summit concluded late Friday.

'The Kyoto protocol is a cornerstone of the climate change regime, and nothing will be achieved unless it can be adopted in Durban,' said the Chair of the G77 and China, Jorge Argüello of Argentina

A statement, made available to PANA here from the Chair’s office, said the G77 and China remained fully committed to the negotiations and to make the COP17/CMP7 in Durban a success, with a balanced and comprehensive outcome under the experienced leadership of South Africa. 

'The Group believes this resumed session in Panama has proved to be of great added value, with positive results in terms of making concrete progress in order to arrive in Durban with greater clarity, an improved mutual understanding and concrete texts to work on, in several cases,' said Argüello.

At the closing plenary, Arguello affirmed: 'The Kyoto Protocol is a cornerstone of the climate change regime. We believe that the Kyoto Protocol is essential in enhancing the ambition of developed countries.

“In this regard, the establishment of Annex I commitments for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol is the central priority for Durban. Any other result would undermine the rules-based multilateral response to climate change under the UNFCCC and cast a shadow over our shared commitment to multilateralism.'

According to Argüello, the Group trusts to see in Durban a fair and equal treatment of all issues that are important to all Parties. “A serious imbalance in the progress of issues can clearly not be conducive to a successful, comprehensive and balanced outcome,” he said.

Pana 09/10/2011