Sydney Declaration
Leaders of 21 economies adopted a Sydney Declaration on climate change, wrapping up the two-day summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum over the weekend. The declaration is drawing a positive response from the world community as the leaders reached a consensus on the importance of cooperation in reducing greenhouse gas emissions for clean development. It is expected to pave the way for a new arrangement for a fight against global warming after the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change expires in 2012.
The APEC leaders agreed on an action plan within the framework of the Sydney Declaration, which calls for a 25-percent reduction in energy consumption by 2030. They also vowed to increase forest cover in the Asia-Pacific region by at least 20 million hectares by 2020, a goal which if achieved would store approximately 1.4 billion tons of carbon, or around 11 percent of annual global emissions. The plan also includes the establishment of an Asia-Pacific Network for Energy Technology (APNet) to strengthen collaboration on energy research in areas such as clean fossil fuels and renewable energy sources.
Although the action plan set voluntary, non-binding targets, the APEC declaration set forth an ambitious goal of slowing down, terminating and reversing the amount of greenhouse gases _ the major culprit causing climate change. ``A great challenge for APEC, given the aspiration of 41 percent of the world's population in our region, is to chart new pathways for clean and sustainable development,'' the declaration said. The commitment to global-warming gas reduction cannot be underestimated as Asia-Pacific countries account for more than half of global trade.
However, some international environmentalists criticized the declaration for its lack of mandatory actions and obligatory targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Greenpeace called the declaration on climate change the ``Sydney Distraction.'' It said the declaration ``distracts from the real solution and ignores the aspirations of the millions of victims of climate change in developing countries.'' The group said the declaration is irrelevant and meaningless in addressing climate change.
Considering the characteristics of the APEC forum, designed to discuss and seek ways of promoting economic and trade cooperation, the declaration is a meaningful achievement for building consensus on the fight against global warming. Malcolm Turnbull, the environment minister of the summit host Australia, said the Sydney Declaration is a significant achievement because it is the first time that China, a major developing world greenhouse gas emitter, has committed to reducing emissions.
Negotiations on the Kyoto Protocol are scheduled for December in Bali, Indonesia, to discuss measures to effectively fight climate change after the U.N. convention expires. All countries, developed or developing, should join mandatory international efforts to ensure sustainable development and save our planet from climate catastrophes. South Korea, the world's 10th largest emitter of carbon dioxide, will also have to actively participate in such efforts.