U.N. climate conference adopts Kyoto extension

Steam rises from cooling towers at the Jaenschwalde coal-burning power plant near Cottbus, Germany in this August 20, 2010 file photo. / Sean Gallup

DOHA, Qatar Seeking to control global warming, nearly 200 countries agreed Saturday to extend the Kyoto Protocol, a treaty that limits the greenhouse gas output of some rich countries, but will only cover about 15 percent of global emissions.

Play Video

Earth's polar ice sheets melting at an increasing rate

The extension was adopted by a U.N. climate conference after hard-fought sessions and despite objections from Russia. The package of decisions also included vague promises of financing to help poor countries cope with climate change, and an affirmation of a previous decision to adopt a new global climate pact by 2015.

Though expectations were low for the two-week conference in Doha, many developing countries rejected the deal as insufficient to put the world on track to fight the rising temperatures that are shifting weather patterns, melting glaciers and raising sea levels. Some Pacific island nations see this as a threat to their existence.

"This is not where we wanted to be at the end of the meeting, I assure you," said Nauru Foreign Minister Kieren Keke, who leads an alliance of small island states. "It certainly isn't where we need to be in order to prevent islands from going under and other unimaginable impacts."

The two-decade-old U.N. climate talks have so-far failed in their goal of reducing the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions that a vast majority of scientists says are warming the planet.

• Carbon dioxide emissions rise to 2.4 million pounds per second
• Arctic sea ice larger than U.S. melted this year
• U.S. defends "enormous" climate efforts at U.N. talks

The 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which controls the emissions of rich countries, is considered the main achievement of the negotiations, even though the U.S. rejected it because it didn't impose any binding commitments on China and other emerging economies.

Kyoto was due to expire this year, so failing to agree on an extension would have been a major setback for the talks. Despite objections from Russia, which opposed rules limiting its use of carbon credits, the accord was extended through 2020 to fill the gap until a wider global treaty is expected to take effect.

However, the second phase only covers about 15 percent of global emissions after Canada, Japan, New Zealand and Russia opted out.

The decisions in Doha mean that in future years, the talks can focus on the new treaty, which is supposed to apply to both rich and poor countries. It is expected to be adopted in 2015 and take effect five years later, but the details haven't been worked out yet.

U.S. climate envoy Todd Stern highlighted one of the main challenges going forward when he said the U.S. couldn't accept a provision in the Doha deal that said the talks should be "guided" by principles laid down in the U.N.'s framework convention for climate change.

That could be interpreted as a reference to the firewall between rich and poor countries that has guided the talks so far, but which the U.S. and other developed countries say must be removed going forward.

• no previous page
• next

1/2

[doubleecho-2009]

I continue to be astounded by the incredible stupidity of the people who "believe" that the majority of science climate scientists in the world are WRONG, while a tiny group of contrarian "marketers" are correct!

[spacengin]

In the history of the earth from geological records, the level of CO2 or methane has had huge effect; causing the global ice ball or ice ages when methane and CO2 were not in the atmosphere to mass extinctions when CO2 levels became high from volcanic eruptions. For optimum planetary weather, the level of CO2 must be controlled. Obviously, the narrow minded politicians of the world (and that applies to China, Russia, India etc.) and Republicans will let the cycle of life be destroyed for their momentary monetary advantage. The rising CO2 is not natural as it can be computed from world oil and gas consumption.

As for me, I am going to convert to solar, wind and electric car technologies to eliminate my usage of gasoline and coal fired electricity. In the meantime, we have acquired a high-mileage Prius and pay for wind power electricity from the grid. Getting rid of natural gas usage for heating is more difficult. One solution might be to drill for geo-thermal heat. The cost of drilling would require many households to go into the project together. Regulation would be required to force the change, but then the same thing was done for sewage. Another solution might be expanding wind and solar and storing the energy. Storing the energy economically and safely for months is another challenge.

[mav547166]

There are bigger problems facing humanity that need real solutions rather than the expectation everyone return to the 17th century of power consumption. Environmentalist will never be held accountable for the fraud waste and abuse of their alarmist agendas, not to mention the human costs ie the millions killed by malaria from banning DDT without a suitable replacement.

[Ulgnud]

Using a natural cycle of the planet to push taxation and control will not stop the cycle. And expecting rich nations to fork over money to support this farce is called wealth re distribution. Why should any taxpayer have their funds stolen to support this scheme concocted by a group, the UN, that has no authority in the first place? We would be far better off focusing our efforts in adapting to a cycle that has been going on for countless eons of time.

[Rick_Carter1]

No one can save the human race from themselves, so sorry to have to say. I think the American people have basically proved that. - RC

[sjc_1]

Even if we stopped all CO2 emissions, the sea would continue to rise. Taking the people of those Pacific Islands in would be one way to deal with it.

Wealthy countries are NOT going to stop using fossil fuels, that is one way they got wealthy. Developing countries like China need to do their part, but they have not so far.