Saturday December 15, 2007, 1:15 pm
After 11 days of tortuous negotiations, the US agreed at the last minute to demands by developing nations to water down their commitments to cut greenhouse gases, amending a deal put together by Australian Climate Change Minister Penny Wong.

The deal provides a "road map" for further talks aimed at securing a global pact to replace the Kyoto Protocol when it expires in 2012. Yesterday's deal sets a 2009 deadline for the replacement treaty.

However the US immediately spoke out against the deal, saying it had "serious concerns" about the direction it takes.

Negotiations

As the deadline for the summit - and the prospect of failure - loomed, Australia and Argentina were nominated by the UN to push through a draft text that met the conflicting concerns of developing nations, led by China and India on one side and the US on the other.

After talks stretching into the early hours of yesterday morning, Senator Wong presented the draft to the 190-nation summit yesterday morning.

But at the last minute India intervened, demanding that the US, in particular, accept changes that would lessen the emission burden on Third World countries struggling to catch up with their industrialised counterparts.

A pessimistic Senator Wong broke from the conference to declare that the chances of consensus looked grim.

As developing country after developing country attacked Washington for resisting the Indian proposal, US delegation leader Paula Dobriansky held firm, argguing that developing nations also had to bear the economic burdens of cutting greenhouse gases, even in the face of unprecedented booing from delegates.

There were dramatic moments as conference secretary Yvo de Boer fled the hall overcome by emotion after an attack by China.

He later returned. A series of developing countries then flailed the US for failing to show any flexibility.

The assaults culminated in sustained applause when the PNG delegate told Ms Dobriansky that if the US "could not lead, it should get out of the way".

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon made unscheduled appearances, pleading with the conference delegates to come to a consensus.

"The world is watching us today," Mr Yudhoyno told his audience. "History will be judging us tomorrow."

Breakthrough

Just when all seemed lost and the summit appeared about to break down, Ms Dobriansky suddenly asked for permission to speak again, uttering the words the rest of the world had been waiting for.

"We will go forward and join consensus," she declared, sparking a long round of relieved applause.

Soon after the breakthrough, the White House issued a statement saying any future deal must acknowledge a country's sovereign right to pursue economic growth and energy security.

"The United States does have serious concerns about other aspects of the decision as we begin the negotiations," the White House said.

"The negotiations must proceed on the view that the problem of climate change cannot be adequately addressed through commitments for emissions cuts by developed countries alone.

"We must give sufficient emphasis to the important and appropriate role that the larger emitting developing countries should play in a global effort to address climate change."


The sticking point was the inclusion in the Australian draft of a commitment from developing nations to "measurable, reportable and verifiable" reductions in greenhouse emissions.

That matched the pledge in the document by developed nations to the same conditions, as well as to additional "quantified emission limitation and reduction objectives".

India wanted a reference only to "appropriate mitigation commitments" from developing countries while strengthening the "measurable, reportable and verifiable provisions" to cover technology and financial aid from First World countries.

There is no specific mention of 25 to 40 per cent cuts in developed-country emissions by 2020, a target pushed by the European Union and Green groups but resisted by the US.

Sunday December 16, 2007, 1:03 pm
So do I have it right..... It's still US, Australia & China who're all working against the rest of the world......

Sunday December 16, 2007, 1:26 pm
No Lil ..Australia talked the USA into an agreement on Kyoto...but Bush doesn't like it...Australia signed the Kyoto agreement a day after our Federal Elections here on November 24th

Sunday December 16, 2007, 4:40 pm
Whilst it is great that Australia, by our new Government is part to the 'Global Kyoto Climate Protection struggle- . Something we Aussies could not dear dreaming of 4 weeks ago. Yet we need action here at home ! Climate Protection is like charity, it starts at home. And, Conserving Forests, Trees will Combat Climate Change hence is a very real and most effective, meaningful Climate Protection measure. So please Australian Minister for Climate Change i.e. Protection, Sen. Penny Wong and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, stop the Gunns Pulpmill now and save 200,000 hectares of Tasmanian Native Forest, earmarked for total destruction by the proposed Gunns Pulp-Mill Project. You do know, that you have the entire Aust. and millions of Global Citizens behind you, fully supporting you to stop this Gunns project now. And, the good fortune, you do not need Mr Bush or any one else for that matter, the ball is entirely in your Governments hands. Tell the Minister for Climate Protection, Sen Penny Wong, to stop this environmental genocide right now. Conserving Forest does not only apply to the developing Nations, it also applies to Australia. So lets see that leadership here on the ground in Australia and set a good example. And please stop the deforestion on Tiwi Island too, North Australia not too far away from Indonesia - whom are pushed to stop deforestations too. Australia set a good example first it will give us all credibility and respect.

Sunday December 16, 2007, 10:13 pm
"US made dramatic concessions at the UN summit in Bali late yesterday." "However the US immediately spoke out against the deal, saying it had "serious concerns" about the direction it takes."

Well, gee whiz, look at who is in the white house saying this... Yep, you guessed it - it's bush and the neo-cons!

Sunday December 16, 2007, 10:23 pm
Who cares about Bush's concerns anymore. THey are telling us that if we cannot lead we should get out of the way. Well, we are getting rid of Bush quite soon, and so we should be given a fresh opportunity to lead the world by example in the CORRECT ( I no llonger say "right" to mean correct. It doesn't!) direction.