2007 United Nations Climate Change Conference

The "2007 United Nations Climate Change Conference" took place at the Bali International Conference Centre, Nusa Dua, in Bali, Indonesia, between December 3 and December 15, 2007 (though originally planned to end on 14 December). [ http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_13/items/4049.php , http://www.climate.web.id ] Representatives from over 180 countries attended, together with observers from intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations.cite web
url=http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_13/items/4049.php
title=United Nations Climate Change Conference
publisher=United Nations
date=
accessdate=2007-08-03] The conference encompassed meetings of several bodies, including the 13th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 13), the 3rd Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (MOP 3 or CMP 3), together with other subsidiary bodies and a meeting of ministers.

Negotiations on a successor to the Kyoto Protocol dominated the conference. A meeting of environment ministers and experts held in June called on the conference to agree on a road-map, timetable and 'concrete steps for the negotiations' with a view to reaching an agreement by 2009.cite web
url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/06/14/europe/EU-GEN-Sweden-Environment-Conference.php
title=Environment leaders say U.N. summit should set timeline for post-Kyoto agreement
publisher=International Herald Tribune
date=07-06-14
accessdate=2007-08-03] It has been debated whether this global meeting on climate change has achieved anything significant at all.

Initial EU proposals called for global emissions to peak in 10 to 15 years and decline "well below half" of 2000 level by 2050 for developing countries and for developed countries to achieve emissions levels 20-40% below 1990 levels by 2020. The United States strongly opposed these numbers, at times backed by Japan, Canada, Australia and Russia. The resulting compromise mandates "deep cuts in global emissions" with references to the IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report. [Ihttp://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_13/items/4049.php ]

Criticism

A November 25, 2007 article in Times Online reported that it was estimated that that year's conference would release the equivalent of 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide. [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2936809.ece] Greenpeace, who is usually critical of such emissions, calculated those emissions were equivalent to a new coal power plant running for about 20 hours. [http://weblog.greenpeace.org/climate/2007/12/greenwash_bikes.html]

A December 18, 2007 article in the Sydney Morning Herald revealed new information that brought this total even higher. According to the article, a special custom air conditioning system was installed specifically for the conference. The air conditioning system used hydrochlorofluorocarbons, an outdated refrigerant gas that is especially bad for the problem of global warming. According to the article, the air conditioning used during the conference released the equivalent of 48,000 tons of carbon dioxide. The article stated, "... the refrigerant is a potent greenhouse gas, with each kilogram at least as damaging as 1.7 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Investigators at the Balinese resort complex at Nusa Dua counted 700 cylinders of the gas, each of them weighing 13.5 kilograms, and the system was visibly leaking." [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/12/17/1197740183601.html]

See also

*Bali Communiqué from 150 global business leaders
*Bali roadmap
*Post-Kyoto Protocol negotiations on greenhouse gas emissions

External links

* [http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_13/items/4049.php Official UN Web site]
* http://www.climate.web.id
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7136486.stm BBC Bali summit mini-site]

News stories

* December 18, 2007, "Sydney Morning Herald": [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/12/17/1197740183601.html Answer to hot air was in fact a chilling blunder]
* December 17, 2007, "Guardian unlimited": [http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,,2228609,00.html "We've been suckered again by the US. So far the Bali deal is worse than Kyoto" by George Monbiot, "Guardian"]
* December 16, 2007, "Guardian unlimited": [http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2228422,00.html "At last, some wisdom on global warming" "Observer" leading article] .
* December 15, 2007, "Bloomberg.com": [http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601091&sid=a70r5MZ3qyEw U.S. & Developing Nations Compromise on Climate Talks]
* December 15, 2007, "Reuters": [http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL1529739920071215?sp=true Chronology: U.S. U-turn brings Bali climate deal]
* December 15, 2007, "Reuters": [http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL1566501 High and low points of Bali climate talks]
* December 14, 2007, "India eNews": [http://www.indiaenews.com/asia/20071214/86124.htm US throws climate change summit out of gear at last moment]
* December 13, 2007, "India eNews": [http://www.indiaenews.com/asia/20071213/86116.htm Al Gore's oratory electrifies Bali summit]
* December 3, 2007, "Reuters": [http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSSP26402220071203?sp=true Australia steals show at Bali climate talks]
* December 3, 2007, "New York Times": [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/03/world/asia/03bali.html Climate Talks Take on Added Urgency After Report]

References