Report: Australian 2020 Target Announcement Could Scuttle International Climate Negotiations

Tuesday, 09 December 2008 20:13

“While modest in and of itself, only a 25-40% reduction target on 1990 levels by 2020 will keep open the prospect of a meaningful international agreement,” said Jeff Angel, director of the Total Environment Centre.

“Anything less will greatly complicate negotiations between the developed nation bloc and could give major developing nations like India, China, Brazil, Mexico and Indonesia a ‘get out of jail free’ card.”

The claim came as Total Environment Centre released a new paper, The International Climate negotiations: Structures, Issues, and Competing Positions, which explores the major issues and stumbling blocks in the negotiations, the competing positions of individual nations, and their current domestic climate policies.

The international community is currently negotiating the terms of a new international climate agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol once it expires in 2012. The two year negotiations began last year in Bali and are scheduled to conclude by the end of 2009 in Copenhagen. The talks are currently entering the High-Level segment (for Ministers) of the ‘midpoint’ meeting in Poznan, Poland.

The focal point of the negotiations has so far been 25-40% reductions below 1990 levels by 2020 for industrialised nations and a parallel 15-30% reductions below business as usual emissions growth for developing nations.

The Australian government had previously committed to announce its 2020 target before the Poznan talks but has since deferred the announcement to Monday, December 15 - the first business day after the Poznan talks. This has led to speculation that Australia is preparing to announce a watered down target of only 5-15%.

 The new paper reveals that the proportionate response from developing countries to such a target range would scuttle the prospect of a meaningful climate agreement and result in warming of at least 3.2 degrees by the end of the century- a level of warming well past the 2 degree threshold for runaway climate change.

Further information:
Jeff Angel- (02) 9261 3437 or Cameron Eren- 0425 327 037
A copy of the report is available by clicking here