COP18 to finalize Kyoto Protocol, Belize representative calls for Taiwan's participation

The high-level segment of the conference opened on the afternoon of the day before yesterday, with heads of environment and energy-related departments from various countries gathering at the venue to begin the second phase of consultation and decision-making. The conference has entered a critical period of rapid change, and each agreement will undergo further negotiation based on the foundation laid in the previous week, in order to produce a final text.

The high-level meeting on the Kyoto Protocol was convened yesterday, where ministers from various countries spoke to express their demands regarding the Kyoto Protocol while also explaining their countries' actions on climate change; the representative of Belize stated on the conference stage that Taiwan, China should not be excluded from the UNFCCC. As one of the world's top twenty economies, Taiwan, China should participate more in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, rather than being unable to participate.

The final conclusion of the Kyoto Protocol subsidiary session was announced this afternoon. The chair explained that since the start of the subsidiary session, several items of the text had been revised. Through the efforts of working groups and committees and the informal consultations led by the vice chair, the revised draft decision of the protocol would be submitted to the high-level CMP meeting, with decision-making authority fully left to ministerial-level representatives for negotiation.

In the subsidiary session, most country representatives were optimistic about the start of the second commitment period of the protocol on January 1, 2013. The main issues lay in the legal binding force of the second commitment period and discussion of related details, the need to urge countries that had not yet joined the second commitment period to participate, as well as the operation of mechanisms and whether the first commitment period and the second commitment period could be fully linked.

Representatives of Algeria and the G77 countries stated that Annex I countries should make more active and meaningful commitments and effectively reduce emissions, and that this negotiation could only be continued through consultation at the high-level meeting; representatives of Gambia and 48 developing countries stated that setting the commitment period at 5 years could be said to be the basis of the Doha Agreement, and that countries not participating in the second commitment period should not enjoy the benefits of the flexible mechanisms in the protocol; representatives of Swaziland and the African Group believed that the legal binding force of the commitment period, verification benchmarks, and procedural balance remained the primary issues, and hoped they could be implemented immediately to achieve emission reduction targets as soon as possible.

The EU representative demonstrated determination at the meeting, firmly stating that the EU would definitely complete the linkage between the first commitment period and the second commitment period (Note: the EU has been authorized to complete this task since 2005), hoping to shorten the ratification process, build an uninterrupted continuous market mechanism, strengthen quantified emission reductions, and further stated that "everything is only a starting point, not a peak."

Representatives of Saint Lucia and the Alliance of Small Island States stated that regarding the 5-year commitment period, there should be guaranteed emission reduction targets to keep the global average temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius, expressed deep confidence in the 2014 emission reduction plan, and more strongly called on Annex I countries to make further commitments and accelerate their determination to reduce carbon, with the representative saying, "Now is the last chance. We must complete it, but at present it has not been completed."

The conference will enter its final stage. The ad hoc committees for each proposal are stepping up consultations, completing revised drafts and concluding subsidiary sessions, which will then be submitted to the high-level meeting for decision-making. Representatives of all countries are intensively discussing from multiple sides, hoping to reach consensus and bring about a result for this conference; tomorrow will be the last day of the conference, and there are still two committees unable to conclude. What the final outcome of this conference will be, youth representatives will continue to update with follow-up information.

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