China Calls for “Kyoto Principles” to be Retained in Global Climate Change Pact

Leading up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference, next month in the Danish capitol of Copenhagen, key members are jockeying for position and trying to “set the tone” before talks even begin.

China, the foremost polluter in the world, is prefacing talks by stating that they will push to maintain the “Kyoto Principles” going forward with Gao Guangsheng, Director General of the National Coordination Committee on Climate Change, saying “China will carry out our negotiations on the basis of the Kyoto Protocol which we have adhered to all along.” he added that some nations were trying to amend or entirely change the  “common but differentiated responsibilities” on which the Kyoto Protocol was founded but stopped short of naming names.

According to the Kyoto principle, rich “Annex I” countries should take the initiative when it comes to reducing CO2 emissions, while poorer nations such as China and India would not be obliged to set their own mandatory targets until 2020.

Much of the legal infrastructure of the protocol is based on the principle, including the clean development mechanism, which allows developed countries to meet their CO2 targets by investing in clean projects in the developing world.

“But now there are some signatories… trying to abandon the Kyoto Protocol, with some wanting to devise new laws,” Gao said.

It’s no surprise China is set on keeping the Kyoto protocol in place as it directly benefits, the largest polluting nation on the planet, not be held to the same standard as the west and not be obliged to set their own mandatory targets for another 10 years.

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