15 December 2007 - International
— The world turned here in Bali today as the
conference booed and jeered US attempts to
block a successful outcome.
Having spent the two weeks of the meeting
swinging a wrecking ball through the talks,
with the able assistance of friends like Canada,
Japan and Russia and complicit silence of
Australia and New Zealand the Bush Administration
went one step too far.
Developing countries had agreed to take measurable,
verifiable and reportable action, linked to
action by the USA who refused to accept the
package, until the room erupted.
There were harsh words from many country
delegates including Papua New Guinea who advised
the US to exercise leadership or get out of
the way, at which point the US delegation
caved and agreed.
US tactics have weakened agreement
However, despite these dramatic events the
entire Bali Mandate is weaker because of their
tactics and the strong science that should
be driving the process has been relegated
to a footnote in one of the key documents.
There was some agreement reached on transferring
clean technology to the developing world and
providing money for those countries already
suffering from the effects of climate change.
But reducing emissions from deforestation,
a key driver of climate change, still has
a long way to go, and a loophole remains that
may allow some industrialised countries to
swap binding targets for voluntary goals.
World must keep watching
The next round of negotiations is now well
and truly underway but nobody can afford to
take their eye off the ball over the next
two years. Some governments here have given
less than their best and it is up to all of
us to keep the pressure up for a strong second
phase of Kyoto and real action on climate
change.
