Report of Cancun World Climate Conference

Reuters, UK, reported on the 29th that the humanitarian relief agency Oxfam released a report on the 29th, saying that in the first nine months of this year, meteorological disasters caused 2 1 1,000 deaths worldwide, more than twice that of 2009.

This report was released at the beginning of the climate conference in Cancun, Mexico. It takes floods in Pakistan, fires and heat waves in Russia and sea level rise in Tuvalu, a Pacific island country, as examples to illustrate the serious consequences of climate change.

The new round of UN climate negotiations focuses on several issues where rich and poor countries have differences, such as climate aid fund, rainforest protection, and coping with climate warming. This negotiation also wants to formally determine the current emission reduction targets.

However, Oxfam released a report urging countries to act as soon as possible to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

The Financial Times published an article saying that the Cancun talks may be difficult to break through.

According to the report, last year's Copenhagen climate summit can be said to be "the best meeting in history", but the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. When the Copenhagen climate summit ended in fiasco, the prospect of global climate negotiations suddenly became dim. In this gloomy expectation, the 6th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 6th Conference of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol in Cancun will continue to be dull and anxious.

Even after one year, if we want to make significant progress at the Cancun Climate Conference, the challenge is still enormous. Various factors that caused the disastrous climate summit in Copenhagen still exist: the basic four countries headed by China; The European Union, the standard-bearer for tackling climate change; The umbrella group headed by the United States is still the leader of the Cancun Climate Conference. The Cancun Climate Conference is still a romance of the Three Kingdoms, and organizations such as the Alliance of Small Island States are still marginalized.

In addition, the fiasco of the Copenhagen climate summit last year witnessed the gradual decline of the EU's right to speak. The core negotiators of global climate negotiations are undoubtedly China and the United States. On the one hand, it is the top two carbon emitters in the world, and on the other hand, it is determined by their comprehensive strength in the world.

The United Nations hopes to avoid the chaotic and tense situation at the Copenhagen climate summit at the end of last year, so as to maintain the continuation of the negotiation process and finally sign a new agreement to deal with global warming at the key meeting in South Africa next year.

Chris Huhne, the British energy and environment minister, warned: "We don't expect to reach a final agreement in Cancun. The goal of this meeting is to restart the negotiations. If we can push countries closer to reaching an agreement, keep the negotiations going and make substantial progress in forestry, finance and emission reduction commitments, then this meeting will be successful. "

Even the United Nations itself admits that the Cancun meeting will not reach a final agreement. Du Nan journalist Yang Chuanmin sent it from Cancun.

"China hopes to finalize at least the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol in Cancun, but according to the current negotiation process, even this is very difficult." Yesterday, Xie Zhenhua, head of the China delegation, met with representatives of domestic and foreign NGOs, communicated the negotiation process and expressed China's negotiating position. This is also the first time that senior officials from China have communicated with domestic and foreign NGOs at the climate conference. He said, "But whatever the outcome of the negotiations, China's independent emission reduction will not change to adapt to climate change.".

On the last day of the climate talks in Cancun, in one or two small conference rooms in Yuegong, high-level ministerial talks were held one after another, all behind closed doors. It is against this background that Xie Zhenhua, head of the China delegation, started the meeting with domestic and foreign NGOs. At the Tianjin meeting, Xie Zhenhua met with NGOs in China.

International NGOs attending the Xie Zhenhua meeting yesterday included Third World Network, Climate Action Network, Friends of the Earth, Green and Equality. Most questions focus on the position of the China administration in the climate negotiations and the expected role of the China administration. Xie Zhenhua reiterated the position of the China government and revealed the current negotiation process.

At the meeting, Xie Zhenhua, as the highest-ranking official in China, also revealed some important information to the media present.

First, China will provide climate assistance to the most vulnerable countries through South-South cooperation. Xie Zhenhua said that he recently went to Ethiopia and the African Union to understand the needs of African countries and saw the impact of climate change on desertification in Africa.

Second, on the issue of transparency, because some countries still have opinions on the transparency of developing countries, Xie Zhenhua said that China agreed to accept international consultation and analysis on independent emission reduction, and made provisions on objectives, actions and principles, hoping to solve the problem of principle at least in Cancun, which is progress.

Thirdly, regarding the Kyoto Protocol, whether there is progress in the negotiation process on climate change, China believes that whether the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol can be extended is an important sign. Therefore, China hopes to extend the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol in Cancun, but Xie Zhenhua said that "it seems difficult".

Fourth, regardless of the progress of the negotiations, China should take domestic actions to achieve the goal of reducing carbon intensity by 40%-45%. Xie Zhenhua cited two sets of data for comparison. During the Tenth Five-Year Plan period, China supported an average annual GDP growth of 9.8% and an average annual energy growth of 65,438+00.4%. During the 1 1 five-year plan period, China supported 65,438+00.2% GDP growth, with an average annual energy growth of 6.8%. This shows that while China is coping with climate change, investment in new energy is increasing and energy efficiency is also improving.

Voice of China:

Emphasize "defending" the Kyoto Protocol.

Cancun, Mexico (special correspondent Mao Yushi Xue Song)

At 5: 00pm local time on the 9th, Xie Zhenhua, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission of China and head of the China delegation to the Cancun Climate Conference, once again emphasized China's firm stance of defending the Kyoto Protocol. The meeting attracted many China media to attend, hoping to "sniff out" information about the progress of the negotiations.

Before leaving for Cancun, Xie Zhenhua said: "The Kyoto Protocol is a legal document reached by the international community through long-term efforts. It has played a role in history and there is no reason to deny it. China hopes that the Kyoto Protocol will continue to play its role in the new situation and be constantly improved in development.

He said that the reason for defending the Kyoto Protocol is that we must adhere to the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol before we can talk about how to further increase emission reduction. If we want to abandon the existing Kyoto Protocol framework and start a new one, we will undoubtedly spend all our time. He stressed that whether the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol can be extended is an important symbol to test the success of the negotiation process of the international community to deal with climate change. On February 4th, 65438, Beijing time, rumors about Mexico's "secret text" aroused strong repercussions at the Cancun Climate Conference. All parties expressed their urgent positions on this.

The differences between developed and developing countries remain the main contradiction of the General Assembly. Developing countries demand different treatment from developed countries in emission reduction targets, and developed countries should provide financial and technical support to developing countries. However, in specific negotiations, developed countries try their best to blur the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" and put forward various restrictions with funds as chips.

To slow down climate change, the key is for developed countries to reduce emissions quantitatively and substantially in the short to medium term. However, the United States, Japan, Australia and other countries avoid talking about themselves, but insist on the simultaneous emission reduction of developing countries such as China and India. The EU even announced that half of the 2.2 billion "quick start" funds provided to developing countries are loans, not free aid. As a result, environmentalists unanimously criticized.

Just as the parties were deadlocked, a non-governmental organization suddenly broke the news that Mexico was engaged in "ciphertext" to make developed countries bear less responsibilities, while developing countries faced stricter standards. It is said that Mexico's "secret text" includes: replacing the Kyoto Protocol with the non-legally binding Copenhagen Agreement; The obligation not to extend the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol; The upper limit of temperature control is greatly increased to 5 degrees Celsius. However, negotiators from China, Japan and the European Union all denied the existence of a "secret text". On February 9, 65438, the penultimate sprint day from the end of the Cancun Climate Conference, there was still no sign of reaching an agreement. Leaders of some countries and senior officials in charge of environmental affairs are still making speeches one after another, expounding the positions of various countries. Major non-governmental organizations listed the United States as the chief culprit that hindered the outcome of the conference.

America is dragging its feet.

There are four main "crimes" of the United States listed by major non-governmental organizations: First, the United States refuses to raise its own emission reduction targets, stays out of the protocol and has no domestic legislation, but wantonly accuses other countries of not doing enough, which hinders agreement on key issues.

Secondly, on the issue of climate funding, which is generally considered to be able to achieve results, it has also encountered obstruction from the United States. The United States mainly wants to compete for the "right to speak" of this fund and refuses to put it under the framework of the United Nations system.

Thirdly, on the issue of technology transfer, the United States also has great reservations, which is not far from the expectations of developing countries. The contradiction between developed and developing countries has been magnified by the United States.

Finally, due to the inaction of the United States, the Cancun meeting failed to rebuild the trust mechanism urgently needed by all parties after COP 15.

Of course, not all parties to COP 16 "discriminate" against the United States. Considering that the Japanese delegation clearly expressed its opposition to the extension of the Kyoto Protocol on the second day of the agenda of the conference, if the United States only promises to reduce emissions by 17% on the basis of 2005 in 2020, all parties will certainly be ungrateful.

Experts estimate that the emission reduction target of the United States is only equivalent to reducing emissions by 4% on the basis of 1990. Even though Jonathan Pershing, head of the American delegation, organized several briefings for non-governmental organizations during the Cancun Conference, some briefings were only open to American non-governmental organizations in an effort to create positive public opinion and safeguard the image of the United States, as expected, the American delegation was actually in an embarrassing position, and Jonathan Pershing's public relations measures had little effect.

Compared with Jonathan Pershing's "efforts", the performance of Steven Chu, the US Secretary of Energy, is even more unsatisfactory.

On February 6, 65438, Chu gave a speech at the American Center. Starting with the trajectory of carbon in the biosphere, he talked about various novel new energy technologies, as if giving a lecture on environmental protection to the participants, ignoring his status as a government official and avoiding talking about what measures the United States is taking to implement the promised carbon emission reduction targets.

In this regard, an analyst who did not want to be named told China Business News that Zhu's "ulterior secret" lies in the lack of a strong new energy incentive policy in the United States today, and the US Congress, especially the Senate, cannot escape the blame.

The source believes that the Obama administration failed to pass the climate bill at a good time when the Democratic Party is in the majority, which shows the strength of the conservative forces in the United States. After the mid-term elections in Washington, the situation is even more pessimistic: the Hehe Party won more seats, while the Hehe Party has always been known for protecting the interests of the coal and oil industries and opposing environmental protection policies.

"Maybe few people pay attention to it. More than half of the members of Congress, members of Congress, members of Congress, members of Congress, members of Congress, members of Congress. The Communist Party of China (CPC) has never been abroad. Therefore, it is hard to imagine that these members can have enough international vision to properly handle issues such as international negotiations on climate change. " The analyst said that * * * and party members are mostly conservatives and climate change skeptics, and some people even don't believe in climate science at all. On this basis, the "carbon tax" has simply become a "forbidden zone" in the United States. "It is not to discuss whether it can be implemented, but to be sensitive to the fact that no official dares to touch it. As long as the participating political parties mention any idea of increasing environmental taxes, they will fail in the election. " The above-mentioned people therefore said. China News Service Cancun 65438+February 4th. Title: Mexico will turn the climate conference into a carnival, and all walks of life will evaluate the two poles.

Halfway through the Cancun meeting of the United Nations Climate Conference, Mexico, the host country, has arranged many wonderful activities, making this climate conference like a carnival, and many activities have nothing to do with climate change. People from all walks of life have different views on this.

The Mexican government held an event called "Climate Change Exchange Forum" on the 3rd local time. The event was not arranged in the official hotel, but in a resort far away from the venue.

After the forum ended that night, the organizer held a "Mexico Night" for the participants. Everywhere was full of singing and dancing, and people were intoxicated by the beautiful scenery, wine and scenery in front of them, which was in sharp contrast to the tense and depressing atmosphere of the venue.

As early as the opening night of the conference, Mexican Foreign Minister Espinosa, the president of the conference, arranged a welcome dinner for all the participants, which was open to non-governmental organizations and media reporters. A grand traditional song and dance performance was also arranged at the dinner.

At the Cancun Expo, the only way for all participants, Mexico also set up a traditional commodity market to promote local Mexican products, such as pottery, Chili oil and cocoa powder. But because of the high price, there are few buyers.

Nevertheless, the market has attracted the attention of many participants. A South African negotiator invited reporters to taste free cocoa drinks there. Some young vendors sell handmade products to reporters in fluent English. The reporter noticed that the organizers of the conference also made special passes for vendors.

Many people also took photos with the artistic skeletons placed in the market. The head bone porcelain sold is also expensive. In Mexico, the art of the dead is a unique art form, but it may be difficult for some foreigners to accept it at the moment.

Some NGO participants told this reporter that Mexico seems to want to change the "cold impression" of the last Copenhagen summit. The Copenhagen summit focused almost entirely on negotiations. Delegates have been very nervous in the meeting, and they have to face the harsh winter in northern Europe outside the meeting, which has indeed had some adverse effects on the meeting process.

It is also a solution for the Mexican government to try to let representatives of various countries negotiate in a relatively relaxed environment through various channels. According to the reporter's understanding, negotiators are satisfied with other meeting arrangements except in different places, especially this time they will not encounter the embarrassment of being entangled by NGOs.

However, the criticism outside the venue is endless. Brazilian President Luiz Iná cio Lula da Silva blasted this week's meeting as "fruitless" and he himself withdrew his plan to attend the meeting. In addition, it may be because of language problems that many participants and organizers have poor communication, and the time and place of some activities often change, which has caused controversy.

Senior Mexican officials responded that this climate conference can achieve at least two results, namely some breakthroughs in capital and technology. The Mexican side holds a press conference every day and actively communicates with the media, making great progress compared with the last session. However, due to the language barrier, the audience of the conference was not many.

According to the reporter's observation, Mexico also wants to attract large-scale investment and seek opportunities for local enterprises through this climate conference, just like at the Shanghai World Expo. The center of Cancun Exhibition Hall is the largest exhibition hall in Mexico, surrounded by lush tropical plants. There are business activities in the exhibition hall every day, among which the activities of environmental protection enterprises account for the vast majority.

Next week, the high-level meeting of the Climate Conference will open. At that time, the Mexican government will continue to hold many carnival-like activities, and different voices about the activities inside and outside the venue will continue. (End)