3 of 16

Write now Article Tools

There was a lot of talk in the news here in Australia recently about APEC. Our esteemed leader avowed the meeting as a huge success and a lot was made of the so-called Sydney Declaration on climate change.

For all the rhetoric, and with 21 world leaders in town, one would have expected more coverage in the press. There was a lot within Australia and much of it negative (and quite rightly so), however beyond our shores, this momentous announcement met with barely a murmur. The BBC, Reuters, AP, CNN were all silent. Surely, this is a mistake? No, sadly not, but than again it's not hard to see why.

Crikey has compiled a comparative analysis of the two documents to find out exactly what was taken out, watered down, written in, or beefed up by the negotiators. Call it an exercise in decoding international diplomacy. It is also a measure of how similar Australia's approach is to that of the Bush Administration and how much influence the latter has on doing something (which is very little) about this issue.

Here's the draft document (http://www.smh.com.au/multime dia/pdf/APECclimatechangedraft .pdf) and the final version (http://www.apec.org/etc/media lib/apec_media_library/downloa ds/news_uploads/2007aelm.Par.0 001.File.). Changes are marked in italics.)

On future international action:
Before: Making measurable and verifiable contributions to meeting shared global goals.
After: We support domestic actions which make measurable contributions to a shared global goal.

Support for post-2012 climate change arrangements:
Before: Agree that a long-term aspirational global emissions reduction goal will be a key component of the post-2012 framework. Note the national decisions made by some APEC economies to propose a long term global emissions goal.
After: We agree to work to achieve a common understanding on a long-term aspirational global emissions reduction goal to pave the way for an effective post-2012 international agreement. We appreciate the efforts Japan and Canada in proposing a long-term global goal.
Additional statements :
We welcome the initiative by the United States to convene a group of major economies to seek agreement on a detailed contribution to a post-2012 global arrangement under the UNFCCC .
We pledge our support for the initiative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in convening a High-Level Event on Climate Change.

Energy efficiency:
Before: Agree to implement national policies and measures consistent with improved energy efficiency.
After: Encourage all APEC

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about The Bush administration's approach to global warming?
We want to hear your view. Write now!