Lima Climate Change Conference: Compromise Limits Achievements

By staff reporter LI WUZHOU

THE annual United Nations Cli- mate Change Conference， held in Lima， capital of Peru， fi nally concluded in the small hours of December 14， 2014， after running more than 32 hours over schedule.

There were gaps in the General Assemblys adoption of a final resolution， but it reached a consensus on elements of the draft agreement expected to be passed at the Paris climate change conference in December 2015.

Disappointing presentations from developed countries and more compromises from developing countries were at the root of this lame result. “Even though developing countries capacity for and control of global governance are on the ascent， their right of discourse is， on the whole， relatively weak，” deputy director of the National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation Zou Ji said.

Imperfect but Acceptable

As a key point of the multilateral climate negotiation process， the aim of the Lima conference was to encourage all parties to exchange views on elements of a new deal to tackle climate change af- ter 2020. The conference committed to paving the way to the 2015 Paris conference， and to urging all parties to bring previous consensuses into effect and so launch the Green Climate Fund as soon as possible.

The Lima conference agreed on two deliverables： the Lima Call for Climate Action and the draft 2015 agreement. It thus narrowed the cognitive gaps among various countries and reached a simple and clear decision. This is undoubtedly good news for the Paris conference.

However， the draft text is unsatisfactory due to developing countriescompromises and developed countriesreneging on their commitment to emissions reduction and financial support. Conspicuous in its absence was the latters roadmap for the pledged yearly US$100 billion in climate aid up to and including the year 2020.

The European Union （EU） stated on December 14 that the outcome of the Lima conference represents a step forward to a global climate deal in Paris in 2015. Certain environmental protection organizations， meanwhile， criticized the result as “greatly reduced” and “nothing to brag about.”

The outcome， however， was within the Chinese delegations expectations， according to deputy chief of the National Development and Reform Commission（NDRC） Xie Zhenhua， who headed the Chinese delegation to Lima. “Were not entirely satisfied with the outcome， but believe it is balanced， and fundamentally meets the requirements of developing countries，” Xie said after the meeting.

Old Problems

Differences between developed and developing countries over old problems constitute the main reason why the Lima conference did not achieve the expected results. Developed countries hold that the agreement should focus on controlling carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions and so include emerging economies such as China and India in the emissions reduction system. Yet they resist any commitment to provide impoverished nations with the fi nancial aid necessary to tackle climate change. Developing countries， for their part， oppose being incorporated into the emissions reduction system， and insist that the new agreement should guarantee substantial financial subsidies for poor nations.

The core issue is hence that of apportioning responsibilities. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change （UNFCCC） clarifi ed the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. From the perspective of developing countries， todays climate change is the cumulative result of the past 270 years. Developed countries， therefore， should bear the bulk of responsibility， both through committing to reducing emissions and providing developing countries with funds and technical support suffi cient to help them adapt to and mitigate climate change. Developed nations， however， believe that all nations should acknowledge similar accountability. They thus shirk their responsibilities. This is the largest divergence. Moreover， in the process of globalization， developed countries have transferred industries， and consequently emissions， to developing counterparts. Developed countries， therefore， should acknowledge emissions reduction as their historical responsibility.

The so-called common but differentiated responsibilities set forth in the Convention make clear that everyone must take responsibility for protecting the ecological environment. But it also emphasizes differences in responsibility. First， nations are at various stages of development and so bear different responsibilities. Consumption， construction， and transportation are the main sources of emissions in developed countries， while productive consumption is the culprit in developing countries undergoing industrialization. Their respective emissions are hence different in both content and nature.

Countries have varying abilities to tackle climate change. Developing nations should be allowed the time and opportunity to build up their capacity. They should therefore be tasked with responsibilities different from those of developed countries.

Developed countries fulfillment of their commitment to large-scale emissions reduction by 2020 and to providing developing countries with financial and technical support is the premise on which to maintain mutual political trust in future climate negotiations， according to Xie Zhenhua.

Responsible Big Country

In contrast to the passive attitude towards emissions reduction and aid to the developing world that certain developed countries have shown， China， as a big developing country， has acknowledged its responsibility in this regard.

Even though， due to its developingcountry status， China has not been charged with the mandatory obligation to reduce emissions， the country has nevertheless made signifi cant contributions to the global initiative to tackle climate change. In 2013， Chinas carbon emissions were 28.5 percent lower than the 2005 level， equal to a 2.5 billion ton reduction in carbon dioxide discharge. During the 20 years from 1991 to 2010， Chinas cumulative energy saving accounted for 58 percent of the world total. Chinas installed capacity for renewable resources， moreover， accounts for 24 percent of the world total. In addition， China owns the worlds largest nuclear power capacity currently under construction， and has the worlds largest planted forest.

Chinese and U.S. leaders released a joint declaration on climate change issues 20 days before the Lima climate change conference. It states Chinas commitment to efforts towards advancing its carbon dioxide discharge peak， forecast around the year 2030， and to increasing to 20 percent the share of non-fossil fuels in its primary energy consumption. The Brookings Institution commended Chinas plan to thus improve its non-fossil energy consumption as an admirable initiative， equal to building an American power generation capacity with green energy in 16 years.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also applauded the joint declaration， calling it a major impetus and heartening progress towards reaching a new climate deal in 2015.

All this shows that not only Chinas government but Chinese society as a whole places a premium on tackling climate change. An article in the Financial Times on December 3 includes a MORI survey that found a high level of understanding among Chinas populace of the causes of climate change.

“Well do more in this fi eld，” Chinas Special Representative for Climate Change Negotiations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Gao Feng said.

Win-win Results

China has been flexible but firm in negotiations， upholding its principles and seeking win-win results. China is also proactive in both uniting developing countries and holding dialogues with developed countries. In trying to find common ground it promotes the entire process of climate change negotiations.

China strengthens cooperation on climate change with such developing countries as India， Brazil， and South Africa under the BASIC and Group of 77 frameworks， endeavoring to win benefits for developing countries amid the global drive， according to Gao Feng. China also makes moves towards establishing bilateral negotiation mechanisms on climate change with such developed economies as the U.S.， EU， U.K.， Germany， and Australia， through regular communications on their policies and negotiation stands on climate change. China at the same time strengthens pragmatic cooperation with these nations in such fields as clean energy， energy-conserving buildings， electric cars， and green transport.

China has demonstrated wisdom as regards international cooperation on climate change， since developing countriesneeds cannot be met and negotiations cannot proceed without the understanding and support of the developed world. The China-U.S. joint declaration on climate change of November 12， 2014 serves as an excellent example of Chinas quest for win-win cooperation with developed countries.

The document clearly states the two countries emissions reduction targets after 2020， and sets out projected timetables. This will substantially contribute to global efforts towards greenhouse gas reduction， and serve as an example to other countries.

During the Lima conference， UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon acknowledged Chinas endeavors and achievements in tackling climate change. He stated that the UN would count on Chinas leadership in climate change negotiations， and that this would pave the way towards the 2015 world agreement on climate change.

Its efforts to rally developed countries support for the developing worlds fight against climate change notwithstanding， China clearly states that it will not compete with fellow developing nations for such support. In striking contrast to developed countries that often fail to honor their generous promises to deal with climate change， China provides munificent financial aid and technical expertise to other developing countries， and shares with them its experience in this regard.

Chinas cumulative financial support to developing countries since 2011， earmarked to help them improve their ability to tackle climate change， totals RMB 270 million. The country has trained almost 2，000 officials and technicians from the developing world in this field.

During the UN Climate Summit held in September， 2014， China committed to doubling its financial contribution， to setting up a fund for South-South cooperation on climate change， and to donating US $6 million in support of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moons promotion of cooperation between developing countries in tackling climate change.

China also helps the global drive against climate change on other interna- tional occasions， such as APEC and the G20. Examples include the Silk Road Fund， which China established， as well as the BRICS bank and China-Africa Development Fund， in which China participates. All involve climate change projects.

Chinas efforts in this field have won international applause. Costa Ricas Minister of Environment and Energy Edgar Gutierrez Espeleta stated on December 9 that China sets a good example to the world in its efforts to tackle climate change， including its generous provision of financial aid to other developing countries， and laying down a carbon dioxide emissions control schedule.

Indubitably a Developing Country

During the Lima conference， certain foreign media questioned whether or not China could still be classified as a developing country. They called on this country， which has made such considerable contributions， to take even more actions beyond its current development and capability.

Admittedly， China has undergone dramatic changes since its first participation in climate change negotiations. Its GDP was RMB 2.69 trillion in 1992， when the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change （UNFCCC） was signed at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro. That figure has skyrocketed around 20-fold over the last 22 years to reach RMB 56 trillion in 2013. In the meantime， Chinas economic aggregate has leapt from the 10th to second in the world.

These figures are heartening. The Chinese people now have the capacity to purchase deluxe cars and travel the world. Bearing the laurels as the worlds biggest trading nation with the largest foreign exchange reserves， however， could create a mistaken impression of Chinas situation as a whole.

Chinas status as a developing country has not changed. Chinas per capita GDP in 2013 stood at approximately US $7，000， almost half the US $13，460 world average， ranking around 100th， behind many developing countries including Botswana， Turkmenistan， Dominica， and Montenegro.

Moreover， Chinas per capita GDP， at less than one seventh that of the U.S.， is the lowest of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. The per capita GDP of Russia， which ranks fourth among the five permanent members， is double that of China. Among the BRICS， China falls behind Russia， Brazil， and South Africa in this respect.

Although the worlds second largest economy， China cannot compete with the U.S. – the worlds No. 1. There is a considerable gap between the two nations in such fields as science and technology， education， and agricultural production. Take agriculture， for example. Measured by added value， the agricultural labor/population ratio， and agricultural productivity， Chinas agricultural modernization level in 2008 was more than 108 years behind the U.S. and 36 years behind its neighbor South Korea， according to the Overview of China Modernization Report 2012： A Study of Agricultural Modernization released by the China Center for Modernization Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Moreover， at least 100 million people in China live below the World Bank poverty line of US $1 per day.

Despite this， “It is an intrinsic requirement for China， which is still under development， to proactively tackle climate change， to build a beautiful country， and to achieve sustainable development. Meanwhile， it takes on responsibility for the world，” Xie Zhenhua said， concluding， “This is not required by others， but by ourselves.”