China and the United States took the lead this week at the Globe Legislators Forum, calling for decisive domestic action on climate change, regardless of the status of international negotiations. More than a hundred legislators from 16 major economies attended the event in Copenhagen, which is aimed at engaging parliamentarians on climate change.
The legislators agreed key guiding principles to enact climate-change legislation in their respective countries. The agreement, set out by Chinese congressman Wang Guangtao and American congressman Edward Markey, outlined principles on building and appliance standards, vehicle fuel and efficiency standards, forest preservation, and renewable energy — which could cover 70% of the emissions cuts required globally by 2020. The legislators believe these actions will help drive the move towards a low carbon economy.
”Many of the policies and measures to increase efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions do not require an international agreement to implement. As legislators we can drive the move to a low carbon economy through domestic legislation to capture efficiency gains using a combination of energy efficiency standards and regulation,” Markey said.
The legislators also agreed on a joint statement for the climate negotiations to be held in December, when representatives from around the world will meet in Copenhagen to agree a new international climate treaty.
This includes agreeing to medium-term emissions targets for developed countries; providing incentives for reducing deforestation; creating a framework for protecting and sharing intellectual property rights; strengthening international systems for monitoring and verifying emissions reductions; and agreeing that $100-billion in financial assistance would be needed to help developing countries adapt to climate change.
Markey has referred to the December negotiations as the ”single most complex political transaction in the history of the world” and a ”multidimensional, multi-layered political chess match”. The negotiations have been slow and there is a growing fear that no agreement will be reached by the end of the year. The legislators who attended the Globe forum are hoping their united stance will encourage negotiators headed for Copenhagen in six weeks’ time to finalise a deal.
Michael Jay, vice-president of Globe International, said this coordinated action by legislators would send a strong signal to leaders that the policies needed have broad support and will give them confidence to move faster in formal negotiations. ”The statement our forum has agreed will be a wake-up call to governments in the last days running up to Copenhagen that legislators from the major economies are willing to drive the move to a global low carbon economy,” he said.
Despite the level of agreement seen among legislators at the Globe forum, there is growing concern about the lack of consensus between developed and developing countries in the run-up to Copenhagen and about the frequent bilateral negotiations being held between the US and China. Some fear the US and China will avoid committing to a deal in December and simply form a bilateral agreement.
But Markey brushed off questions on the issue, saying: ”The goal is to reach a global agreement with all the countries in the world accepting common but differentiated responsibilities. You can have bilateral agreements, but within the context of a global agreement in which all countries are participating.”
He said that, as two of the world’s largest emitters, the rest of the world would look to the two countries for leadership. ”If the United States and China lead, others will be part of the solution with us. Historically the United States and China have been an excuse for why other countries haven’t acted. This year, we hope to go [to negotiations] as leaders and not laggards.”