Doha Negotiations

by Liu Mengyu

Originally scheduled to wrap up on December 7， 2012，the UN Climate Change Conference in Doha was dramatically extended to December 8. However， the results were still fewer than many had hoped. Developed as well as developing countries all stuck to their own agendas； Canada， Japan， New Zealand and Russia rejected a second commitment period to the Kyoto Protocol， while the U.S. shut down negotiations related to transferring climate-friendly technology. What did China and other countries argue over the half-month of negotiations？ To find answers to these questions， our special correspondent recently sat down for an exclusive interview with Xie Zhenhua， vice minister of the National Development and Reform Commission and head of the Chinese delegation to the Doha talks.

A Greater Duty for China？

According to Xie， the major goal of the conference was to require developed countries to fulfill their commitments from the first period – to meet obligations of emission reduction targets and technology transfers stipulated in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change （UNFCCC） as well as the Kyoto Protocol.

Xie， who has been engaged in environmental protection since 1982， has profound feelings about global climate change and environmental protection. “Today the world is facing increasing occurrences of extreme weather，” he notes， “and developing countries are even more vulnerable to disasters. The situation has made international cooperation to tackle climate change more crucial than ever. Two interrelated aspects of addressing climate change are mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation of climate change will reduce pressure to adapt to the changes. But if emissions continue rising， the speed of global warming will accelerate.”

The meeting marked Xies fourth time heading the Chinese delegation to the climate talks. He has left a deep impression with many foreign journalists devoted to covering climate change. At the Durban Climate Change Conference last year in South Africa， Xie delivered a powerful impromptu speech criticizing the irresponsibility of Western countries for failing to fulfill their commitments.

“China insists that developed countries greatly reduce their own emissions and fulfill commitments to provide funding and technology to developing countries to improve their adaption capacities under the framework of the Convention and the Protocol，” Xie explains， echoing Chinas consistent position.“Some developed countries used economic difficulties as the excuse to abandon previous promises and refuse to offer financial aid to developing countries， and some even attempted to restrict the growth of some developing countries through climate change issues.”

In his opinion， it is not realistic to ask China to reduce its emissions to levels stipulated for developed countries. “As a developing country， China is at a different growth stage than developed countries， and it is now undergoing the industrialization and urbanization process，” Xie illustrates. “Per capita GDP in China barely tops US$5，000. Per capita GDP in the developed countries sits around $40，000 to $50，000， with their industrialization and urbanization processes already complete. According to the Kuznet Curve， also known as the Inverted U， emissions increase as industrialization grows， but decrease after the industrialization and urbanization processes conclude. China is now on the ascending leg of the curve while developed countries are descending.”

China saves energy， reduces emissions and has changed its growth model and adjusted economic and industrial structures to achieve sustainable development. These accomplishments are in accord with trends and tendencies of global economic and social development. China adheres to the principles of fairness， “common but differentiated responsibilities，” and “based on capacity.” At climate conferences， one goal Xie targeted was inspiring “understanding and respect to Chinas situation， while ensuring that China is allowed to take proper measures corresponding to its national situation to address climate change.”

In recent years， China has taken powerful and effective measures in that respect by saving energy， developing clean energy， planting trees and forests and increasing carbon sink.“Not a single country or national group has accomplished such tremendous emission reductions as China has， yet others still ask China to do much more，” he adds.

Finding Balance

Before arriving in Doha， Xie knew he was in for exhausting negotiations. Many climate talks occur each year， so each country is familiar with the positions and desires of the others. Each country is required to negotiate on a platform built around the framework of the Convention， the Protocol， Bali Action Plan， Copenhagen Accord， Cancun Agreements and the Durban Decisions， and new decisions are made according to new situations.

What is the ultimate goal of the multilateral mechanismand climate change talks？ “We are talking about the interests of the entire human race，” Xie stresses. “But we also need to consider the unique interests of each country. The key is to find a point that strikes an ideal balance.”

Xie endorses the role UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has played in climate change talks. “From Bans opening speech to his dialogues with BASIC countries （China， India， Brazil and South Africa）， we can see his expectations from the conference align with those four countries， especially China，” he opines. “Ban also hoped to reach an agreement on a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol and that developed countries would fulfill their obligations. Ban believes that under the framework of the Convention， the top issue to solve is the money problem while other elements still need attention. He believes that work groups need successful outcomes so that talks on the Durban platform can begin.”

As for negotiations with the E.U. and U.S.， as well as developing countries at the Doha climate change conference， Xie felt that the E.U. pushed forward climate change talks throughout the process. The E.U. has already completed some stipulations in the Convention and Protocol， but still remained far from what some expected it could accomplish with its capacity and potential.

“The U.S.， or the ‘Umbrella Group， contributed next to nothing to multilateral-mechanism climate change talks，” Xie sighs， but admits that they are taking many measures within their countries.

“Developing countries are the victims of climate change，”Xie concludes. “They want to become responsible global neighbors， but development and poverty relief remain their priorities. They must increase adaption capabilities and actively mitigate climate change while pursuing development and struggling to overcome poverty. So， their most pressing need is financial and technological support. Agreements should allow them to place development as their top priority while tackling climate change at the same time.”

In the eyes of this 63-year-old who has devoted his life to environmental protection， China is conscientiously tackling climate change with practical action. As a still-developing country， China will not follow the same dangerous path that now-developed countries took when they achieved development.