New Delhi: With many rich nations failing to
meet Kyoto Protocol goals, top climate expert RK Pachauri
Wednesday said a "stronger and firmer" regime envisaging punitive
action against the defaulters awaits in a new climate treaty,
whenever it is framed.
"Kyoto Protocol did not work as it does not have
provisions for stringent measures against the defaulters.
"But there is clearly strong expression (among global
community) for punitive measures of sort against those
countries that don't meet their commitments," Pachauri said
noting that the rich nations were not serious in taking any
legally binding commitments.
"They (developed countries) just want to push the burden
on the developing countries which have done pretty well to
combat climate change, whether it was taking up CDM projects
or submitting national communication on climate change to the
UN...," he told reporters.
Pachauri maintained that in the case of Kyoto Protocol,
it (punitive action) was there but it was rather weak.
The goal of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which is based on
principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities"
exempting the developing nations from taking legally binding
cuts, is to reduce worldwide greenhouse gas emissions to 5.2
percent below 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012.
However, of the 120 countries that signed the Protocol,
only 50 have ratified it, and since the Kyoto agreement,
worldwide carbon emissions have increased by almost 30 percent.
"We probably will have a much stronger and firmer regime
on climate change at Mexico next year to be carried out by the
United Nations under its Framework Convention on Climate
Change", Pachauri said about what he could gauge from the
recently concluded climate summit at Copenhagen, Denmark.
However, he said "what shape or form this will take... is
a little early to tell but it seems to me there is going to be
a solid support for UN based action, which will be supported
by Europe, Japan, Australia and certainly all the developing
nations."
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, December 23, 2009, 23:22