Sustainability and policy - Climate Change: Biological and Human Aspects - page 457

renewable energy, tackling energy poverty, freeing markets and removing harmful
subsidies that might exacerbate the greenhouse effect and improving energy effi-
ciency. The UNEP, though, did launch a new initiative, called the Global Network
on Energy for Sustainable Development, to promote research and energy-technology
transfer to developing nations. Meanwhile, the EU announced a US$700 million
partnership initiative and the USA said that it would invest up to $43 million in 2003.
However, a fair proportion of these monetary pledges were already earmarked for
international aid, and not all the monetary pledges were met in full. UNCED + 10

never lived up to the promise of the UNCED itself.

8.1.10 2002-2007

Subsequent to UNCED 10 among the most significant international climate change

policy developments was the 2005 G8 Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. This had two
principal items on its agenda: Africa and climate change. However, the communique
that was released was a watered-down version of the earlier drafts, saying that fossil
fuels 'contribute a large part to increases in greenhouse gases associated with the
warming of our Earth's surface'. This carefully crafted sentence (and rest of the com-
munique) left considerable room for interpretation and political manoeuvrability but
was viewed by some as signalling that US President George W. Bush was beginning
to recognise the science behind the issue. The communique was accompanied by a
list of 38 action points including the promotion of low-energy vehicles and systems.
In essence, whereas Kyoto imposed carbon limits, the US view (and that of the
G8 communique) was that although climate change was a problem, carbon limits
were not essential, but rather the ability to switch to a low-fossil economy. The USA
sought to increase the economic activity produced per unit of carbon dioxide released
into the atmosphere. However, Kyoto did score in one area. The G8 meeting also
committed to the rapid adequate funding of the Kyoto CDM, whereby rich countries
or industries can buy rights to emit carbon dioxide provided that they supply the
technology and expertise to reduce emissions in developing countries. The success or
not of national and international climate policies over subsequent years will play their
part in the next UN environment and development conference that was set for 2012.
At their Gleneagles summit the G8 countries also agreed to a new dialogue with
the leaders of China, India, Brazil and other emerging economies. Together they were
to hold dialogue climate meetings annually up to 2008, when they were to report to
the Japanese G8 Presidency. Even though some of the countries involved are not part
of the Kyoto agreement, the goal of these meetings is to try to achieve real progress
in stabilising greenhouse gas emissions before the Kyoto 2012 deadline.
The 2005 G8 summit also saw international discussion on the further development
of the Kyoto Protocol in Montreal: this might be considered the opening discussions in
the aforementioned dialogue. The meeting consisted of two sets of parallel talks. One
track of discussion consisted of nations who had signed up to the Kyoto Protocol.
They agreed to further future discussions for greater carbon emission cuts and to
find ways to help developing countries beyond 2012, up to when the original Kyoto
Protocol relates. The other track consisted of parties who had signed the 1992 UN
FCCC in Rio de Janeiro. Importantly these included nations like the USA, who had
signed the FCCC but not the subsequent Kyoto Protocol (and who had made it clear

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