Day 7: Short report (COP15 UN Climate Change Conference)

Day 7: Roundup Discussion

The announcement made by US and EU on the emission cut does not impress a lot to the scientists. It is too low to achieve the target that Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has set which is ranging from 25-40% to keep global temperature increase below 2 degrees (3.5 F), as compared to the emission level that US and EU pledge to cut around 3 to 4% and 20% respectively by 2020 from 1990 levels. IPCC’s emission cut target does not include the highly potential threat of methane from the Arctic’s thawing permafrost which may require further emission cut if it is counted for reckoning it. Therefore, IPCC has recommended the climate talks should focus on the long-term commitment rather than the short-term which is unlikely to be a main concern of rich countries over the demand from the developing countries. This concern is exactly goes in line with the opinion of Di-Aiping and He Yafei who observe that the rich countries must look forward and provide a long term financing mechanism to developing countries if they are really serious to mitigate climate change problems. This statement is certainly gives much more pressure to developed countries along this climate talks. In addition to that, African Union threatens to scupper the deal if their concerns including the demands for compensation for the effect of global warming are not well-addressed by the rich countries. This intimidation has received assurance from China where they won’t sign any climate change agreement in Copenhagen if the African requests are not met accordingly.

On the other hand, among the countries that are seriously affected by the climate changes is Bangladesh. In this climate talks, Bangladesh request 15% of any climate fund should go to them as to cope with climate change problems that is approximately 15% of world climate change victims is living in their country. When the fund offered to Bangladesh by development partners on bilateral basis to fight climate change becomes operational, the government might let the World Bank manage the fund for a short term as per a condition set by the development partners.

Abu Mardhiyyah

International Islamic University of Malaysia