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Rich nations' burden

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-10 07:32

For Japan, the host of this year's Group of Eight summit at Lake Toya in Hokkaido, the deal on reducing the emissions by 50 percent by 2050 was a hard-won breakthrough. It has got the United States come on board.

Without the demands to set short or medium-term emission targets, the agreement insisted that "this global challenge can only be met by a global response, in particular, by contributions from all major economies".

It is not difficult to guess who the major economies are. For a long time, the developed countries have been laying blame at their doors.

The political statement the leaders of the five emerging countries - Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa - issued half an hour after Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's talk to reporters was clear and necessary to the developed countries.

It sent the rich nations a prompt warning that they should not make compromises at some sacrifice of the developing countries' interest.

The G8's deal meant that all major economies will need to commit to meaningful mitigation actions to be bound in the international agreement to be negotiated by the end of 2009.

Keeping G5 outside, the G8 has no reason to ask the emerging countries to bind themselves to its deals. It is unfair for them to share the same burden with the developed countries.

There is a solid consensus on the principle of "common and differentiated responsibilities" for developing countries in tackling climate change. It has been incorporated into several United Nations documents such as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol and the Bali roadmap.

This is a recognition of the developing countries' right to development.

The developed countries should bear the brunt of the adjustment to the climate crisis since it is responsible for the economic trajectory that has brought the world to the edge of a catastrophe.

The global response should not compromise the developing countries' right to development.

The developing countries' call to the rich nations to transfer technology to mitigate global warming and provide funds to assist in adapting the new technology should be heeded seriously.

These steps are important if the rich nations want the developing countries to do more for an environment-friendly world.

(China Daily 07/10/2008 page8)