(China Daily)
Updated: 2007-12-17 07:18

The Bali conference did not let the world down. Showing a new resolve to handle climate change, the delegates of 190 nations agreed in Bali on Saturday to hammer out a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol by 2009.

Herculean as the task may be, crafting a replacement must be done in the next two years. The process should include a timetable and agenda for action. The 2009 deadline for drafting a new treaty was intended to give countries enough time to ratify it by 2010, when the Kyoto Protocol expires.

It is hoped the deal struck in Bali will save the Earth from the devastations of global warming.

The so-called Bali roadmap recognizes the need for international cooperation. It highlights the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities as the basis for future cooperation on common action against climate change, including the setting of targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Negotiators should consider binding reductions of gas emissions by industrialized countries, while developing countries should consider moves to control the growth of their emissions. Richer countries should work to transfer climate-friendly technology to poorer nations.

The deal represents a breakthrough in ending the standoff between the United States and the rest of the world. The US will be involved in the new negotiations on climate change.

The US, the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, never ratified the Kyoto Protocol. As a result, the world has been left wondering whether that country will live up to its obligations. It cannot exempt itself from taking responsibility because the roadmap reaffirms that all developed countries are obliged to reduce gas emissions measurably, accountably and verifiably.

Three key points that had been ignored in previous international negotiations were added to the Bali roadmap. They are: technology development and transfers, financial resources and adaptation strategies for countries dealing with the negative effects of climate change.

There is a need for cooperation on technology, joint research and development and access to know-how, as well as for support for the development of technology by developing countries.

Close cooperation in capacity building and joint research and development will facilitate regional and global efforts to address climate change.

(China Daily 12/17/2007 page4)