Threat of failure looms as Bali talks enter key phase

As technical discussions wrap up and the ministerial round of negotiations begins, there is a growing concern that the Bali conference will fail to produce a sound negotiating framework towards a deal to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.

The EU is “adamant” that the Bali negotiating ‘roadmap’ includes binding commitments by developed countries “to reduce their greenhouse gases in absolute terms”, EU Environment Commission Stavros Dimas told delegates in Bali yesterday (12 December).

But the US delegation at Bali has dug in its heels on the issue, strongly resisting the inclusion of binding commitments in the Bali roadmap, despite earlier comments that suggested a more conciliatory stance.

China and India for their part are also resisting EU calls for greater commitments to reduce their emissions in future.

The impasse has raised concerns that the talks will produce a negotiating framework that is too open-ended to produce a solid global climate change deal with meaningful commitments by big polluters, particularly as little time remains at the negotiations.

Ministers have until Friday 14 December, the closing of the Bali conference, to reach an agreement.

Despite what is an apparent low point in the talks, some progress emerged on the issue of financial transfers to developing states most severely affected by rising sea levels, desertification and other fallout from climate change.

New life is being breathed into an existing climate change adaptation fund for developing states under the Global Environment Facility, originally established as part of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. 

Under an agreement reached on 11 December, the fund, which currently contains the relatively small figure of $40 million, will be fed through a 2% tax levied on transactions in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which involves investment by rich nations in ‘clean’ projects in the developing world in exchange for CO2 emissions credits.

If CDM projects flourish, the fund could grow between 1$ and $5 billion annually by 2030, according to UN projections.

But some observers say the fund will not be enough for developing states, who will require $50 billion per year to adapt to climate change, according to Kate Raworth of Oxfam International. 

Read more with Euractiv

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