ACTU : Consensus on climate change but disagreement about solutions within APEC

Catherine MAIA

The leaders of the 21 countries that make up the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) organization started their annual two-day summit this weekend in Sydney, with the issue of climate change at the top on their agenda.

After discussions at the experts and ministerial meetings, the APEC member economies have reached consensus on the issue. They agreed to commit to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and take actions on the basis of the principle of the Convention: "The future international climate change arrangement needs to reflect differences in economic and social conditions among economies and be consistent with our common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities", said the draft declaration prepared for the summit.

But although officials of the APEC economies agree that climate change is one of the most pressing issues of the day, they remain divided on how to deal with it.

Some of the industrialized economies, led by Australia and the United States, want to use the APEC summit as a forum to forge a new framework outside the United Nations-backed Kyoto Protocol. That Protocol sets specific goals for reduction in the greenhouse gas emissions that are thought to be a major contributor to global warming.

Environmental campaigners, like Abigail Jabines of Greenpeace, say Australia and the U.S. should ratify the Kyoto Protocol if they are serious about addressing climate change. "If John Howard and George Bush are sincere in addressing climate change, they should ratify Kyoto Protocol and embrace real solutions such as renewable energy and energy efficiency and set legally binding targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions", said Jabines.

But Australian Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, says that instead of government-mandated solutions, the world should look to the private sector for cost-effective and realistic approaches to emission reductions. "We've certainly affirmed the importance of market-based solutions to address energy security and achieving sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions", he said.

The 1997 Kyoto Protocol excludes developing nations from emission targets. The U.S. and Australia say this is unfair. They want APEC to endorse a new approach to climate change, which would require developing nations - including China, the world's second-biggest polluter after the U.S. - to join in the reduction efforts and accept quantifiable global goals to reduce emissions.

On his side, Chinese President Hu Jintao, in a speech Thursday 6 September, acknowledged the urgency of dealing with climate change, but insisted it should be dealt with within the framework of the Protocol, which requires little of China.

In addition to climate change and energy security, which are the top agenda at the meeting, APEC leaders are also expected to issue a statement aimed at reviving the stalled World Trade Organization negotiations. Rich and poor nations are divided over cuts in barriers to trade in agriculture, industrial goods and services.

Founded in 1989, APEC has become a major regional forum acting as the primary regional vehicle for promoting open trade and practical economic and technical cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.

It has 21 members: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, China's Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.