United Nations climate negotiations resumed Monday in Bangkok, with the December Copenhagen deadline on the horizon.
The same major issues/obstacles remain on the table, and many observers believe that agreement on a new climate treaty will not be reached this year, but that the creation of a provisional structure is possible.
Such a structure would likely not include the aggressive targets for emissions reductions from developed nations (25%-40% below 1990 levels by 2020), but rather would allow countries to set their own variable targets.
Over the next week and a half, delegates in Bangkok will continue to push and pull over the issue of financing, as poor nations insist on substantial economic support to help them adapt to climate change and develop clean energy sources.
In addition, delegates will work to finalize a market-based system to slow global deforestation. The reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) scheme has been one of the few ideas to gain widespread support in these negotiations, yet environmental groups warned that the details of the program risk continued harm to the planet’s forests and must be monitored closely to avoid abuse.
The Ecosystems Climate Alliance urged delegates to change the working definition of forests, which they said is "deficient." The group said the framework definition does not distinguish between plantations and natural forests, an oversight that could lead to the conversion of natural forests to planted tracts.
The 180-page draft negotiation text is now available to the public (available at the link below), and reducing and simplifying the document is one of the major tasks for delegates over the next week and a half.
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