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RADICAL RETHINK NEEDED FOR CLIMATE NEGOTIATIONS

"KYOTO2" PROPOSALS CAN PROVIDE A WAY ROUND THE ROADBLOCKS

"We hope that the 'Copenhagen' negotiations on climate change will succeed, but the signs are not promising." So says John Gilbert of K2S, a campaigning group working to raise awareness of the "Kyoto2" proposals for cutting worldwide emissions of greenhouse gases.

"We think that many of the problems are the result of the existing framework for negotiations in which cutting emissions is perceived mainly as a 'burden', countries are worried about national competitiveness and the potential costs to taxpayers, the sheer complexity of the negotiations creates resistance to change and progress, and there is no mechanism to fund adaptation in poorer countries in a fair way, on the scale that is required." added Gilbert.

K2S says that the "Kyoto2" proposals provide a way round these roadblocks.

There would be a single global cap on emissions, without any need to assign emissions targets to individual countries. This creates a fair, simple, effective framework for cutting emissions says K2S.

Greenhouse gases would be controlled "upstream", near to their origins. This simplifies administration, reduces opportunities for fraud, automatically includes international aviation and shipping, avoids the complex problem of accounting for fossil carbon embodied in traded products, and dispels the problems associated with carbon offsets.

The sale by global auction of Permits to pollute would raise about $1 trillion every year, to be spent on measures to help adaptation and mitigation, mainly in poorer countries. This solves the problem of how to finance climate solutions.

Oliver Tickell, who is the author of the "Kyoto2" proposals, said "People are assuming that each country will have its own targets for cutting emissions of greenhouse gases, but that assumption leads to many complications. By replacing national targets with a single global cap on emissions, and by raising funds via the sale of Permits, the Kyoto2 proposals cut through several tangles and allow the focus of negotiations to shift on to how to share the benefits and opportunities of decarbonising the world's economy."

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1 Further information may be found in:

KYOTO2 aims to prevent catastrophic climate change by regulating greenhouse gases in a way which is effective, efficient and equitable:

• A global system, without national targets for emissions of GH gases. A single global cap: NO NATIONAL TARGETS!
• Greenhouse gas emissions would be regulated “upstream,” near to their origins. Oil, gas and coal would be controlled at or close to where they are extracted from the ground.
• Cap-and-trade system. There would be an annual auction of Permits to pollute, or to extract oil, gas and coal from the ground. Annual caps would be progressively reduced at levels aiming to prevent dangerous climate change.
• Creates incentives to cut GH gases and develop clean sources of power. There would also be regulations and standards aimed at overcoming specific market failures and to reduce costs.
• The sale of Permits would raise about $ 1 trillion every year. This fund would be invested to tackle both the causes and the consequences of climate change, with an emphasis on addressing the needs of the poor and those most adversely impacted:
  • Helping adaptation to climate change,
  • Supporting conservation of energy and the creation of clean sources of energy,
  • Managing land to reduce emissions of GH gases and to capture carbon in soils, peat lands, forests and other ecosystems,
  • Researching low cost and environmentally benign geo-engineering options that could in extremis prevent a ‘runaway greenhouse effect’ from taking hold.

Kyoto2 can help to break deadlocks in climate negotiations by shifting the debate from ‘burden sharing’ to a more positive discussion of how to share the benefits of moving to a low-carbon economy.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Kyoto2: How to Manage the Global Greenhouse, Oliver Tickell, Zed Books, 2008, ISBN 978-1-84813-025-8 pb. Web: www.kyoto2.org, Email: info@kyoto2.org.

KYOTO2 advantages

"If a product is made in China, by a company based in Singapore, using Australian coal, for a company in the UK, and exported to end users in the US, then which country should 'own' the emissions?" Oliver Tickell, 2008.

EFFECTIVE

• One of the most thoroughly developed proposals for controlling global emissions of GH gases.
• By controlling GH gases “upstream”, near to their origins, Kyoto2 greatly simplifies administration and reduces opportunities for fraud.
• Sidesteps problems that arise in trying to assign CO2 emissions to countries:
  • No need for special provision for international aviation and shipping.
  • Avoids the complexity of trying to account for fossil carbon embodied in traded products.
  • No worries about “additionality”, double counting, and other problems associated with carbon offsets.
• Steadily decreasing annual caps provide relatively direct control over emissions.
• Covers all GH gases, not just CO2.

EFFICIENT

• Unlike other rationing systems, Kyoto2 channels funds into mitigation and adaptation.
• The market in emissions permits promotes efficient allocation of resources. Direct regulation is used where it is more cost-effective than a market system.

EQUITABLE

• Helps to protect the interests of poorer people and countries—and future generations.
• Helps industries and countries make the transition from non-renewable to renewable sources of energy, delivering “the gain without the pain”.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Kyoto2: How to Manage the Global Greenhouse, Oliver Tickell, Zed Books, 2008, ISBN 978-1-84813-025-8 pb. Web: www.kyoto2.org, Email: info@kyoto2.org.