Climate talks set agenda for more talks

Climate talks in Thailand have set out the structure for future talks, but made little progress on the burning question of what will fill the gap left when the Kyoto Protocol runs its course in 2012.


The United Nations plans to hold seven further round of talks on a post-Kyoto solution over the next 18 months and says it is happy with the progress made in Bangkok last week.

“Not only do we have the certainty that critical issues will be addressed this year, we now have the bite-sized chunks which will allow us to negotiate in an effective manner,” said UN climate chief Yvo de Boer.

Future talks are likely to see the USA and Japan push for binding targets for developing countries – which do not exist under Kyoto.

Such proposals are likely to face strong opposition from developing economies such as China and India, which will argue that this is a protectionist gambit aimed to prevent them from competing on an equal footing with established industrial countries.

Several countries proposed new ideas for further negotiations.

Mexico put forward a proposal about organising funding for emission reductions and technology in developing countries.

The Small Island States – amongst the most threatened countries – introduced the idea of an insurance fund to enable their citizens to deal with climate disasters.

The next round of talks is scheduled to take place in Bonn, Germany in June.

Sam Bond

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