Major climate summit opens in Bangkok with calls for action
BANGKOK, Thailand: The United States and China want to change a draft report written by hundreds of the worlds leading climate change researchers to downplay its conclusion that quick action can limit the catastrophic effects of global warming.
The two countries also raised doubts that immediate moves could stabilize greenhouse gas levels and limit the temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
The concerns were among dozens of proposals submitted by 119 governments ahead of this weeks Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change meeting in Thailand, and were viewed by The Associated Press on Monday.
The views were a preview of what delegates expect will be a fight for much of the week to preserve the key conclusions in the draft IPCC report, which says greenhouse gas emissions can be cut below current levels if the world shifts away from fuels like coal, invests in energy efficiency, reforms the agriculture sector, and works to halt deforestation.
The administration of U.S. President George W. Bush has rejected the Kyoto Protocols mandatory emissions cuts, contending they would slow U.S. economic growth. China, which was exempted from the 1997 pact but is poised to become the worlds leading gas emitter, has called on the U.S. and other developing countries to take the lead before it acts.
Two previous IPCC reports this year painted a dire picture of a future in which unabated greenhouse gas emissions could drive global temperatures up as much as 6 degrees Celsius (11 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2100. Even a 2 degree C (3.6 degree F) rise could subject up to 2 billion people to water shortages by 2050, and threaten extinction for 20 percent to 30 percent of the worlds species, the IPCC said.
The report being debated this week in Bangkok stresses the world must quickly embrace a basket of technological options Д already available and being developed Д to keep the temperature rise to 2 degrees C. More than 200 delegates will examine the IPCC report and recommend changes before it is finalized.
The U.S. wants clauses inserted saying the cost of current available technologies to reduce emissions “could be unacceptably high,” and calling for a greater emphasis on “advanced technologies,” many of which are aimed at extending the use of coal.
The United States and China criticized the economics in the report, which concludes that stabilizing the greenhouse gases to limit the temperature rise to 2 degrees C would cost less than 3 percent of the global gross domestic product (GDP) over two decades.
A British government report last year predicted damage from unabated climate change might cost the global economy between 5 percent and 20 percent of GDP every year.
The Chinese delegation, which could not be immediately reached for comment, joined the U.S. in trying to delete language saying the potential to reduce global warming was “significant,” and questioning the affordability of taking action.
The United States says it has “provided billions of dollars” in incentives to increase the use of nuclear energy, renewables, and clean-coal technologies. It has set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 18 percent over the next five years, said Harlan Watson, head of the U.S. delegation, in an e-mail.
“Our goal throughout the IPCC process is for the reports to best reflect the latest state of knowledge on addressing global climate change,” Watson said.
Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the climate change panel, wouldnt address the U.S. concerns directly. But he said every country would have a chance to express its views, and ultimately “a balanced assessment” of the science will prevail.
“The science certainly provides a lot of compelling reasons for action,” Pachauri said.
The IPCC was established under the auspices of the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environmental Program to provide regular assessments to policy makers on scientific, socio-economic and technical aspects of climate change.
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On the Net:
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: http://www.ipcc.ch/
