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'The Kyoto Protocol is just a first step' |
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By Marcela Valente*
Tierramérica
spoke with Joke Waller-Hunter, executive secretary of the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and in charge of
organizing the upcoming conference of parties to that agreement,
to take place in December in Buenos Aires.
BUENOS AIRES - Since 2002, Joke Waller-Hunter,
of the Netherlands, has served as the executive secretary of the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC),
and oversees the organization of the conferences of parties to that
agreement, which bring together delegates from 188 governments each
year to discuss ways to curb emissions of what are known as greenhouse
gases.
From Dec. 6 to 17, Buenos Aires will host the 10th Conference of
Parties (COP10) on climate change, coinciding with the tenth anniversary
of the UNFCCC itself.
''A very nice anniversary gift would be Russia's ratification of
the Kyoto Protocol,'' allowing that treaty, which sets targets for
emissions reductions, to enter into force, Waller-Hunter said in
a dialogue with Tierramérica during a recent visit to the Argentine
capital. However, she added, the Kyoto Protocol is just a first
step.
- What do you want to come out of COP10?
- It will be a very special conference because it is the 10th anniversary
of the Convention (on Climate Change) and anniversaries always give
us a chance to look back, to analyze what has been achieved and
see where we are headed, and what we should be doing to resolve
the problem of climate change.
- What issues will be emphasized at the conference?
- We hope that COP10 is very strongly centered on the debate about
common actions by the countries and on the national and international
cooperation needed for adapting to climate change, especially in
developing countries, which are the most vulnerable.
- Do you think Russia will ratify the Protocol?
- We know that it is a decision of the Russian government to work
with its different ministries to prepare a common position, and
that process is underway. It is a discussion at the highest political
level, and we don't know exactly when it will end. With that uncertainty,
we are preparing for COP10. Of course, a very nice anniversary gift
would be Russia's ratification of the Kyoto Protocol during the
Buenos Aires conference.
- What will happen if Russia fails to do so before COP10?
- I don't think there would be a direct impact on the Conference.
Furthermore, the entry into force of the Protocol is not a requisite
for defining the success or failure of the meeting, because the
basis of our deliberations is the Convention on Climate Change.
The Protocol plays a key role, because it gives the industrialized
countries clear goals. Even if it hasn't entered into force, it
influences the agenda of the countries that have ratified it. But
the Protocol is just a first step in attending to a long-term problem.
- Do you think it is possible to convince the United States to commit
to reducing emissions after it withdrew its signature from the Kyoto
Protocol in 2001?
- To be effective in the future implementation of the Convention,
we need to have all sectors involved: those that ratified the Kyoto
Protocol, those that didn't, and those that said they wouldn't.
Surely the environmental ministers (at COP10) are going to analyze
how we can bring everyone in.
- What message would you like COP10 to send to the world?
- It should underscore the importance of climate change as a very
serious global problem, and also demonstrate how the international
community acts in confronting it.
* Marcela Valente is an IPS correspondent.
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