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Beijing Review Exclusive
Special> United Nations Climate Change Conference> Beijing Review Exclusive
UPDATED: December 2, 2010 Web Exclusvie
A Deadly Blow
Japan rejects the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol
By HU YUE
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The ongoing Cancun Summit took a turn for the worse as Japan refused to ratify the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.

The Kyoto treaty is "outdated" because it only regulates 27 percent of global emissions, said Kuni Shimada, special adviser to Japanese Environment Minister Ryu Matsumoto, during the ongoing United Nations climate talks in Cancun, Mexico.

Under the Kyoto Protocol signed in 1997, 37 of the world's industrialized nations are required to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 5.2 percent. The first commitment period of the protocol will expire in 2012; a second commitment period was supposed to be finalized in Copenhagen in 2009.

However, the terms of the second commitment period were not realized at the 15th Conference of Parties (COP-15) in Copenhagen last December. The developed world refused to bear the full responsibility of cutting greenhouse gas emissions without the participation of what they called "other major emitters," referring to China, Brazil and India.

Many developed countries including Canada, Australia and New Zealand have expressed strong reservations about extending the Kyoto Protocol. The European Union has said they would only consider it under certain conditions. Unfortunately, Japan's announcement makes it the first country to refuse to ratify a second commitment period under any circumstances.

Environmental and non-profit groups slammed Japan's refusal to accept a second commitment period.

"This is the firmest Japan has been," said Jake Schmidt, an international climate policy director at Washington's Natural Resources Defense Council. "The fate of the Kyoto Protocol is going to cast a shadow over what we're trying to do here on all the other building blocks of a climate agreement."

"Japan's statement upset many parties and created an unconstructive atmosphere for the negotiations," said the Climate Action Network, a global network of over 450 non-governmental organizations. The network mentioned in their statement that the Protocol was adopted at a previous conference which Japan hosted.

Japan's stance has cast an ominous shadow over the future prospects of the Cancun Summit, said Yang Ailun, a climate and energy project manager from Greenpeace.

(Reporting from Cancun, Mexico)



 
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