Building the BEDROCK

During COP-5 in Bonn (1999), the focus was on preparing for future conferences and operationalising the Kyoto Protocol, with discussions revolving around capacity building, technology transfer, and a renewed commitment to success

The COP-4 in Buenos Aires managed to keep political interest alive in the climate change negotiations. Even though there were no concrete targets, it managed to put together the ‘Buenos Aires Plan of Action’ or BAPA. The COP-5 at Bonn began with a detailed Agenda for the Conference and its Subsidiary Bodies (Subsidiary Body on Scientific and Technical Advice or SBSTA and Subsidiary Body on Information or SBI), with the President of COP-4 opening the conference, highlighting the BAPA at Buenos Aires and the importance of continuing the post-Kyoto negotiations to ensure that the Kyoto Protocol came into effect in 2002. The outgoing President also pointed out that developing countries were becoming an increasing contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, implying that they would have to take more responsibility in the future. Thereafter, the COP-5 presidency was handed over to Poland.

Discussions at COP-5

In the opening session, apart from rules of procedure and adoption of the agenda, the parties noted that only 15 countries had ratified the Kyoto Protocol by October 1999. There was still a long way to go for the Protocol to come into effect.

There was much discussion in the Conference in the Subsidiary Bodies (SBSTA and SBI) on procedural issues, particularly on national communications from Annex I countries and from developing countries. What these communications should include was much debated until it was decided that they should include technical aspects on greenhouse gas emissions, a report on various activities, information on transfer of technology and so on. On national communications from non-Annex I countries, G77 and China argued for financial resources for such communications and for the inclusion of non-Annex I country experts in preparing such communications. Ultimately, a Consultative Group of Experts was established to improve non-Annex I communications.

On substantive matters, the COP-5 took forward the decisions in BAPA, which were mainly strengthening the UNFCCC implementation and preparing for the future when the Kyoto Protocol would come into effect. To quote from the decision:

The Conference Requests its President, with the assistance of the Bureau, to provide guidance to the subsidiary bodies; to take all necessary steps to intensify the negotiating process on all issues; and to recommend an effective organisation of the work of its sixth session, in order to provide the basis for the decisions to be taken at that session, as called for in the Buenos Aires Plan of Action, with the aim, inter alia, of bringing the Kyoto Protocol into force as early as possible;

The COP-5 also adopted guidelines for National Communications to be used by Annex-I countries to report annual inventories of greenhouse gases. Among other decisions, the COP-5 also adopted the UNFCCC guidelines for the global climate observing systems, guidelines for the technical review of greenhouse gas inventories of Annex I countries, capacity building of developing countries, including the framing of their national communications, and transfer of technology.

The COP-5 also reviewed the pilot projects of activities implemented jointly and decided to continue the pilot phase beyond the year 2000. It was also decided that the Joint Working Group on Compliance would continue its work, and collaborate with the subsidiary bodies to submit regular reports.

An interesting decision in COP-5 was that it discussed the issues of emissions from fuel sold to aircraft and ships. The special report on Aviation and Global Atmosphere was prepared by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and included the effects of aircraft emissions on climate and the depletion of the ozone layer. It was decided that such cooperation would continue with ICAO and the International Maritime Organisation.

COP-5: An Evaluation

It appears that the COP-5 was only a staging ground for the next sessions of the COP. COP-5 dealt with largely administrative matters and the only substantive decision was perhaps the taking forward of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action, which, in itself, was basically a plan to implement the Kyoto Protocol. The reason for this was the complexity of the Kyoto Protocol, and that it was signed only two years back in 1997. Even developed countries or Annex I countries, who had to make the commitments, were still trying to understand the various commitments required and other obligations such as national communications. Furthermore, many of the institutional nuts and bolts necessary to implement the Kyoto Protocol, such as the Compliance Committee, rules for Joint Implementation, Emissions Trading and the Clean Development Mechanism, were still being put in place.

Most of the time at COP-5 was, therefore, spent in the following tasks: establishment of the Compliance Committee, finalising Guidelines with the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for measuring, reporting and accounting of emissions, rules for the CDM and procedures for submitting National Communications by non-Annex I countries and the review of National Communications of Annex I countries, finetuning the operation of the Global Environment Facility as the financial mechanism to support adaptation measures, setting up of the Special Climate Change Fund etc.

The SBSTA also discussed various issues related to the transfer of technology. Two interesting points were raised by developed countries, namely: whether the private sector should be involved in the transfer of technology and whether to explore the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) as a way to transfer technology. On both issues, developing countries had a contrasting view: that transfer of technology should be the country’s needs and not involve the private sector; and that the transfer of technology should not be linked to CDM since it was a commitment under the UNFCCC.

The Joint SBSTA/SBI meeting discussed various ways to build capacity in developing countries. A proposal by G77 and China on this issue attracted a lot of attention. The proposal outlined various steps which should be taken by the COP for capacity building such as providing financial support to strengthen national institutions and promoting research on climate change. Ultimately, the COP-5 decided that financial and technical support for capacity building would be transferred through bilateral and multilateral agencies, and an assessment of such support would be undertaken and gaps filled after such assessment.

COP5 saw active participation from developing countries, driven by a sense of urgency amid the alarming climate change threat

Conclusion

COP-5 was therefore a staging ground for preparation of the next conferences and also on various administrative and technical details for operationalising the Kyoto Protocol once it was ratified. There was also a lot of discussion on capacity building and transfer of technology, where developing countries participated actively. In the words of the President, he “sensed a new spirit of determination and commitment to success” in the negotiating process. Ute Collier, the World-Wide Fund for Nature’s climate campaigner, added a solemn warning saying that “This [climate change threat] is quite frightening, and should add urgency to these negotiations.” The journey to address Climate Change which began with the IPCC report was now about 10 years old and there was still a long distance to cover.