African walkout at Copenhagen talks
Updated
A rift has opened up at the Copenhageb climate summit between the world's poorer countries and those which produce most of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
One of the two negotiating tracks at the UN climate talks in Copenhagen broke up dramatically last night, when the Africa group, followed by other developing countries, accused conference chair, Denmark, of trying to "kill" the Kyoto Protocol. They were also objecting to what they characterised as efforts to sideline the poorest countries. Though the African and other developing countries' delegates were back after a few hours , incident highlights how difficult it's going to be get a final, binding agreement at the end of the week.
Presenter: Emma Alberici
Speakers: Lumumba Di-Aping, representative of 130 small nations that form the G77; Nnimmo Bassey of Friends of the Earth; Connie Hedegaard, Denmark's Environment Minister
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EMMA ALBERICI: Australia, the European Union, Japan and the United States are being accused of engaging in dirty tricks which undermine the integrity of the climate negotiations.
Lumumba Di-Aping who represents 130 small nations that form the G77 group led a walk out during the eighth day of talks over plans by the developed world to abandon the Kyoto Protocol.
LUMUMBA DI-APING: We are not afraid. We know that the developed countries have made that decision. That they would want to kill Kyoto Protocol in order to change the balance of obligations between developing countries and developed countries and that is absolutely unacceptable to all members of G77.
EMMA ALBERICI: The negotiations were suspended for two hours as environment groups led protests outside the conference halls.
PROTESTERS: We stand with Africa. Kyoto targets now. We stand with Africa. Kyoto targets now.
EMMA ALBERICI: The Kyoto Protocol is the only legally binding agreement the world has on climate change. The developing world wants to extend that deal rather than create a whole new framework which they fear will represent a watering down of commitments from the rich world.
The United States has long said they will not, under any circumstances, sign up to Kyoto because it doesn't oblige the emerging economies to cut their carbon emissions.
Nnimmo Bassey of Friends of the Earth.
NNIMMO BASSEY: I will support African delegation. We are standing with them and we believe that it is wrong to push the issues behind closed doors. Everything must be put on the table, debated openly and with the full participation of every single delegate.
We don't believe it's right for a few people to sit down somewhere and cook up something. To kill the Kyoto Protocol as if it didn't matter.
EMMA ALBERICI: And you believe this is what is happening with the developed world?
NNIMMO BASSEY: Nobody came to Copenhagen just to while away the time. They got vacation time. It is time for serious business. Climate change is a serious crisis the world cannot afford to leave our leaders playing politics with climate change.
EMMA ALBERICI: The G77 were coaxed back in to the talks after a two hour suspension of proceedings. They blamed the conference president Connie Hedegaard for caving in to the demands of the developed world. A claim Denmark's Environment Minister dismisses.
CONNIE HEDEGAARD: Today is about getting ministers to work on the crunch issues. Time is very short now and we must stop wasting a lot of time on procedural things and get to work because that is what the world deserves and also what the world expects from us.
EMMA ALBERICI: Is the developed world trying to kill Kyoto?
CONNIE HEDEGAARD: You know, I am here speaking on behalf of the presidency and I am trying to sort of unite all kind of different views here. We know that there are different views here also to that issue but we are respecting the mandate. We are preserving the two tracks.
EMMA ALBERICI: Could we end up with two agreements do you think?
CONNIE HEDEGAARD: I think we will have one package but I think that according to the two tracks of course there will be different agreements, different decisions.
EMMA ALBERICI: The talks are now travelling down two distinct roads. One involves an extension of the Kyoto commitments which expires in 2012. The other would see an entirely new agreement forcing the whole of the international community to act on climate change.
