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Press release
Nusa Dua / Bali, 15 December 2007. In the climate summit's last round of dramatic negotiations the breakthrough was finally achieved. "The locomotive that drives towards an extensive agreement on climate protection by the end of 2009 has accelerated", comments Christoph Bals, Executive Policy Director of Germanwatch. "The locomotive's four wheels are the negotiation packages dealing with mitigation, adaptation, technology transfer and financing." Although no appropriate reduction targets were agreed on in Bali at least a reduction range for industrialised countries of 25 to 40 per cent by 2020 compared to 1990 was set as the basis for further negotiations. "The Bali roadmap plus a new government in the USA could lead towards an agreement in 2009 on the targets that are necessary to avoid dangerous climate change", adds Klaus Milke, chairman of Germanwatch.
The negotiations were supposed to end by Friday night. But the important results still seemed beyond reach. All through the night until four in the morning the text of the Bali roadmap was debated in different rounds of ministers. By eight o'clock the next morning the new text version was handed out to the delegates. The group of developing countries was very upset by the procedural errors of the Indonesian environment minister who was chair of the negotiations. It was paused for hours and when more and more delegates had to leave to catch their flights home the conference's failure became more and more likely. But the Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the UN secretary general Ban Ki Moon conjured the delegates to make Bali a success.
Afterwards the Indians presented a changed draft. The EU was acknowledged with standing ovations when announcing its agreement with the new phrase saying that the granted support for adaptation and technology transfer needs to be measured and verified in the future. But the cold shower followed right away. The head of the US delegation dismissed the proposal. One negotiator after the other conjured the US delegation more or less friendly to give up the resistance. When Japan intervened many people held their breath. But even Japan demonstrated consent. Shortly after that the US finally agreed. The head of the US delegation Dobrianski perceived long-lasting applause - and from that point on all the drafts that were still waiting for approval were passed rather quickly and in a better and better mood.
The constructive coalition of developing and newly industrialising countries and the EU passed the ball more and more skilfully. Two years ago India was still reluctant to take part in non-binding discussions on negotations but now it has agreed. The Bali roadmap's design ensures that extensive financial support for technology, adaptation and forest protection is only generated if an ambitious climate change target is approved. This may be realised through some kind of tobin tax on international emissions trading, the auctioning of emission allowances or through environmental levies. "Thereby developing countries are more strongly inclined to enhance climate protection", adds Bals.
Moreover new instruments regarding coverage and insurance are now up for discussion. They might be co-financed by industrial countries according to their CO2 emissions and their gross domestic product respectively.
All different strands of negotiations
on targets and instruments should come to a conclusion by the end of 2009.