Japan: Akihiro Sawa, a leading researcher on the policies concerning climate change, has just published a paper. In this paper, he evaluates and analyzes discussions held in last year’s COP16 and suggests a new framework toward COP17, planned for the end of this year in South Africa, as well as the Japanese stance to be taken.

Main Suggestions

1. Reinforcing the Cancun Agreement

With a fuller proposal concerning the three components of the framework, namely, long-term targets, mitigation (GHG reduction targets and actions) and support for developing countries, Japan should try to reinforce the COP16 resolution calling for participation by the United States and China. Japan should explicitly acknowledge that this “reinforced COP resolution” is the best framework for implementing the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and clearly set a deadline for completing final arrangements for the framework. As to mitigation, emphasis should be placed on multilateral monitoring to verify implementation by each country of an effective program for countering global warming. For any advanced country that delays in taking actions to meet the numerical targets it has set for itself, there should be a mechanism for ensuring commitment, recommending the country to implement additional policies to achieve its numerical targets.

2. Expanding support for developing countries to include “soft” infrastructure

Regarding support for developing countries, it is important to produce as many working examples as possible of bilateral crediting, mechanisms that the Japanese government is now trying hard to establish. However, these will remain mechanisms for project-specific support. In the future, they should evolve into larger mechanisms that can generally support activities in certain areas of national policies that constitute the national action plans of for reduction of GHGg emissions formulated by developing countries. In addition, the scope of support should be expanded to include the development of “soft” infrastructure, such as human resource development and capacity-building programs mentioned by the COP16 resolution. Japan must also emphasize support for “adaptation” programs, which the Kyoto Protocol fails to address, thereby encouraging poverty-stricken developing countries to recognize the need for a new framework.

3. Refusing participation in the Kyoto Protocol extension argument

As to the Kyoto Protocol, Japan should henceforth refuse to participate in any discussion concerning the establishment of the Second Commitment Period. As to the Kyoto Mechanisms and other rules established by the Kyoto Protocol besides the numerical targets, however, Japan should prepare a proposal for incorporating them into the “reinforced COP resolution”, together with other mechanisms such as the bilateral crediting system.

Based on the Japan-U.S. partnership, Japan should present these ideas for establishing a new unified legal framework to APEC countries, and seek to increase the number of countries that support these ideas. In this process, Japan could also propose forming an alliance of supporting countries outside the UN.

Toward COP17, this year will be a crucial stage for Japan’s diplomacy concerning global warming. Japan must propose a reasonable scheme for the next framework and strive to persuade the international community

International Environment and Economy Institute

http://iee-i.org/