Posted on 27 November
2009 - Gland, Switzerland: Danish Prime
Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen is taking
his pessimism about a legally
binding global climate agreement emerging
from his capital Copenhagen to the Caribbean,
for the Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting (CHOGM) starting today in Trinidad
and Tobago.
The meeting, which brings
together Britain and its former colonies
and dominions, is the last significant head
of state level meeting before the Copenhagen
climate summit in a week’s time and has
taken the theme Partnering for a More Equitable
and Sustainable Future.
With climate change
now one of the key agenda items, the meeting
is also being attended by UN Secretary General
Ban Ki Moon and French president Nicolas
Sarkozy, both seemingly much more intent
than Rasmussen on a strong climate outcome
this year.
Rasmussen’s last excursion
on climate, to the Asia-Pacific Economic
Forum meeting in Singapore just under a
fortnight ago, saw him talking up the prospects
of the world just agreeing to what it could
in Copenhagen and emerging with a politically
binding agreement and an unclear deadline
to a legal agreement.
“Is there nowhere Rasmussen
will not go to lower the expectations for
the international negotiations he is hosting,?”
asked Kim Carstensen, leader of WWF’s global
climate campaign. “Politically binding means
nothing diplomatically except an out.
“Politically binding,
for instance, is the agreement reached in
Bali to come to an agreed outcome in Copenhagen,
to strengthen and continue the legally binding
Kyoto Protocol.
“If Rasmussen wants
to go for the best Copenhagen outcome rather
than some lowest common denominator outcome
as he has been doing, he might try holding
nations to account for their politically
binding commitments to do the deal in Copenhagen.”
The APEC meeting drew
criticism for watering down expectations
from Copenhagen and deleting emissions reductions
targets from its final text. It will be
important to watch whether a similar dynamic
develops at CHOGM, as developing and small
island nations seek strong text on climate
change and the need for a successful outcome
from Copenhagen.
“We hope that Rasmussen
will not be able to talk down the demands
for a legally binding outcome from Africa
and the small island states at CHOGM. We
need other developed countries present,
notably Britain, France and Australia to
listen to the voices of the most vulnerable
countries and agree to the need for a legally
binding treaty framework coming out of Copenhagen.”
