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Sincerity needed for substantial achievements at Cancun meeting

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-11-29 20:44

CANCUN, Mexico - The international community has come to a crossroads in its tough struggle to tackle global warming as the United Nations Climate Change Conference starts in Mexico's Cancun on Monday.

It is generally believed that sincerity is all the more needed to make substantial achievements at Cancun, despite mounting difficulty to reach a legally-binding treaty.

WILL A NEW AGREEMENT BE FINALLY REACHED?

As participants from governments, businesses, non-governmental organizations and research institutions from 180 countries gather in Cancun, a resort city of Mexico, the meeting offers the last but one chance for parties to reach a legally-binding treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which will expire in 2012.

To continue to fight against climate change, it is an urgent task for all to reach a new agreement on energy saving and emission reduction.

Many analysts, however, think the chance to reach a legally-binding treaty is slim. Developing countries and developed countries are far apart on many issues, with the extension of the Kyoto Protocol and financial and technological support for developing countries as the sticking point.

Since the UN Conference on Environment and Development held in Brazil in 1992 established the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to tackle the challenge, climate talks over the past two decades have not been purely about technical issues, but involved political wrestles.

Some developed countries tried to shirk their responsibility of reducing the emissions and providing financial and technological help to developing countries.

Developing countries wanted to extend Kyoto Protocol because they think the rich nations should assume the responsibility for the large share of global warming during their industrialization process. But the developed countries tried to create a new treaty and abandon the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities."

Many participants at the conference are hopeful that substantial progress will be made in materializing financial support and technology transfer to developing countries, but they share the view that a legally-binding treaty at Cancun seems unlikely.

SINCERITY IS NEEDED AT CANCUN

It is true that emission reduction may have some restrictive effect on a country's short-term economic and social development. But all nations need to show their sincerity and narrow their differences in dealing with climate change as it poses a longtime threat to the entire planet.

Xie Zhenhua, deputy director of China's National Development and Reform Commission and head of Chinese delegation for Cancun, said each country has its own national conditions, but it should not delay and hinder the progress of the global action to face climate change by using the domestic politics and economy as an excuse.

Development is a comprehensive concept. Economic development cannot be sustained without paying due attention to environmental protection. All countries should take vigorous actions to solve the global warming in line with their national conditions.

China has contributed greatly to the fight against climate change and promised at the Copenhagen conference last year to reduce its carbon emissions per GDP unit by 40-45 percent in 2020 from the levels of 2005.

As host of the Cancun Conference, the Mexican government has tried to coordinate all parties' interests, hoping to rebuild the confidence of the international community.

Mexican Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa and other senior government officials expressed their confidence in achieving a package of substantial agreements, thus helping lay a solid foundation for the South Africa climate talks next year.