Efforts needed to embody political will to tackle climate change -Akahata editorial

Japan Press Weekly

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Efforts needed to embody political will to tackle climate change
- Akahata editorial

A series of summit meetings have started in the U.S. in addition to the U.N. General Assembly. The Climate Change Summit was the first one to be held, followed by the Security Council Summit on nuclear weapons and the G-20 Summit on the economic crisis.

Climate change, nuclear weapons, and economy and finance are all critical issues that will influence the future course of the world. Following the failure of U.S. hegemony, the establishment of the U.S. Obama administration calling for international cooperation has enabled sincere international negotiations to begin to take place. This can be the basis to solve those issues.

Active international discussions

In Japan, the old ruling coalition formed by the Liberal Democratic and Komei parties collapsed after failing to initiate independent diplomatic measures and actively take part in international negotiations. The inauguration of the new cabinet led by the Democratic Party of Japan has given momentum to a series of international negotiations.

At the Climate Change Summit, Prime Minister Hayoyama Yukio pledged that Japan will achieve a 25 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions from the 1990 level by 2020. He also promised to provide financial and technical support to developing countries.

Negotiations to establish an international framework following the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period (2008-2012) face difficulties. Only two and half months are left until the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP-15), which is the deadline of the negotiations.

In this summit, member states declared to take positive measures. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, who chaired the summit, said in the chairperson's summary statement that each member state made clear their will to promote negotiations.

The most important thing to break the stalemate in negotiations is that developed countries set an aggressive target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Hatoyama's statement, which is totally different from the LDP-Komei government's stance that hindered the progress of negotiations, gained a positive response from world leaders and environmental groups. Prime Minister Hatoyama, however, said that the premise is that major greenhouse gas emission countries must fulfill their obligations to reduce gas emissions according to their ability to do so.

Two major greenhouse gas emission countries, the U.S. and China, which emit 20% of CO2 in the world respectively, are getting attention. U.S. President Obama, who puts an emphasis on the environment issue in his economic policy, at this UN conference expressed his determination to tackle the issue of global warming. But he failed to show a positive attitude towards setting a concrete target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions due to adverse moves in the U.S. Congress, which has the power to ratify treaties.

Cooperation between developed and developing countries based on the principle "common but different responsibilities" is necessary to stop global warming. Chinese President Hu Jintao expressed his will to reduce greenhouse gas emissions drastically. It is assumed that developed countries' financial and technical support will be the key to encourage developing countries to enter the framework for agreement and will be discussed at the upcoming Group of 20 summit meeting.

Leaders' decision is essential

In order to reduce the devastating crisis of global warming, how world leaders will make concessions is called into question. Although some say that the deadline of negotiations should be extended another one year, French President Nicolas Sarkozy emphasized the importance of making a worldwide decision and called for holding the summit meeting in attendance with major greenhouse gas emission countries' leaders. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown also called on world leaders to attend the COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference scheduled for December.

In order to reach an agreement at the COP15 conference, it is necessary for every government in the world to take a stance on fulfilling their responsibility and to make further efforts.

- Akahata, September 24, 2009