Participating Nations In Cat-And-Mouse Game

By Kwadwo B. Donkor reports Bonn, Germany

Wednesday, 15 April 2009

Industrialised and developing countries meeting on Climate Change in Bonn ended up playing ‘cat-and-mouse’ game with each other after two weeks of deliberation.

The conference, which was intended to tighten all the loose ends for an agreement on climate change in Copenhagen in December this year, was unable to extract any commitment from both parties.

Addressing the media at the closing news conference of the Bonn meeting, the chairmen representing the two parties, admitted that none of the parties was prepared to make any commitment.

The industrialised countries were unable to present any concrete financial package to developing countries to mitigate the effects of climate change just as the developing countries were also unwilling to make any commitment on their part.

Under an expected deal to be brokered at the meeting, industrialised countries were to make financial commitment to help developing countries to lessen the effect of climate change in the countries and also to adapt to it.

They were also required to make a commitment to cut down on their carbon emissions in order to reduce the rapid depletion of the ozone layer and their associated effects of global warming.
In reverse, developing countries were also to submit proposals on how to use the financial assistance and make a commitment not to do things that will further cause damage to the climate.

Some of these mitigation and adaptation actions include the use of more efficient and sustainable energy, the reduction of emission through deforestation and forest degradation and "to refrain from doing business as usual".

Although parties expressed satisfaction at the level of discussion and progress made, they admitted that there was still more to be done in order to get an agreement in December in Copenhagen.

The parties said the Bonn meeting was an improvement on the Poznan (Poland) conference held in December last year and were hopeful that the subsequent meeting will deliver an agreement.