The 13th Climate Change Conference which began in the Indonesian island of Bali on Monday is significant in that the participants are set to map out a new treaty to replace the current Kyoto Protocol for the relief of global warming. Some 18,000 government officials, industry lobbyists, environmental activists and observers are taking part in the two weeks of talks. The Korean government has dispatched an 80-member delegation led by Environment Minister Lee Kyu-yong.
The talks have been touted to breathe fresh air into the Kyoto Protocol, which has largely failed to address problems arising from global warming. But there is little expectation for a remarkable breakthrough during the Bali conference, due mainly to different positions and interests among participating nations.
Climate change has emerged as a dominant issue since United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in the strongest words yet called for immediate measures to prevent devastating results in the future. In the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, Ban also cited the need for all the nations including the United States, in particular, to combine efforts to head off a possible catastrophe.
The U.S. has become the target of global criticism for its failure to sign the climate change treaty despite its emission of the largest volume of greenhouse gases. It is not yet poised to join the new accord. Should the U.S. not be a part of the envisioned treaty, there is little possibility that China and India will join. We urge the U.S. to fully cooperate in forging a new accord as the most influential nation in the international community.
Korea has currently no binding obligation to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide as it is still classified as a developing nation. But the nation, the 10th largest emitter of the gases, is likely to be subject to the regulation from 2013. In that case, the nation's economy propped up by energy-consuming industries like steel and petrochemical will be measurably damaged.
Despite the looming difficulties, the government has failed to take appropriate steps, having not shown interest in the carbon trade market until recently. Any failure in coping with climate issues will result in less leverage in future negotiations with Western industrial nations and damage to domestic enterprises.
Industrialized countries like the U.S., members of the European Union and Japan have already embarked on virtual war to take the lead in the carbon market. Concerted efforts should be made to ensure future-oriented and sustainable growth of the national economy. And such endeavors need to focus on securing energy-saving technologies in bids for the nation to proactively prepare for the post-Kyoto global economic and environmental system.