Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 11/28/2009 1:06 PM
With 10 days to go before the much-awaited Copenhagen climate talks, positive signs for a landmark deal emerged after the United States and China - the world's largest emitters - unveiled their first firm targets to slash emissions.
Indonesian delegates hailed the promises made by the US and China, saying it would break the expected deadlock on emission cut target by 2020 during the Copenhagen climate conference from Dec. 7 to 18.
"It is an encouraging development making us more optimistic on the ambitious targets to be reached in Copenhagen," Agus Purnomo, an Indonesian delegate to the talks told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
He said that with such targets, there would no longer be reasons for the rich nations to rebuff a legally binding treaty in Copenhagen.
US President Barack Obama was expected to travel to the Danish capital on Dec. 9 to attend the climate conference before visiting Oslo to accept the Nobel Peace Prize.
Reports say the US would propose for the first time in history emission cut "in the range of" 17 percent by 2020 compared to the 2005 level.
Former US president George W. Bush rejected legally binding emission cuts as set under the Kyoto Protocol which expires in 2012.
Emerging country China has also announced its plan to cut "intensity of carbon dioxide *CO2* emissions per unit" of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2020 by 40 percent to 45 percent compared to the 2005 level.
Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiaboo will also attend Copenhagen.
"Let's see whether such promises would be brought to the negotiation table," Agus said.
Indonesia has repeatedly called on the rich nations to meet their promises as made in the Bali climate change talks in 2007 to result in a legally binding treaty on emission cuts target in Copenhagen.
Two years after the Bali talks, negotiators from 190 countries, however, failed to wrap up a text on binding treaty obligations despite dozens of international meetings.
In recent talks in Thailand, rich nations even tried to drop some of the Kyoto Protocol targets.
The rich nations also urged emerging countries including China, India and Brazil to join new legally binding commitments.
Agus admitted that even in recent "extra" climate talks in Barcelona, both rich and developing countries maintained tough start positions.
Indonesia was the first developing nation to announce its voluntary target to cut 26 percent of emission by 2010 from business as usual.
But Indonesia has yet to announce the projected 2020 target.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is scheduled to travel to Copenhagen on Dec. 17-18 to join other heads of governments and states in the climate talks.
"The presence of head of states would much help in the success of Copenhagen talks," Agus said.
Meanwhile, Brazil has also announced emission cuts of between 36.1 percent and 38.9 percent from projected 2020 levels while South Korea plans cuts of 30 percent below "business as usual" by 2020.
From the developed nations, the EU promised to cut emissions by 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and by 30 percent if other developed nations follow suit.
Russia pledged to cut greenhouse gases by 22-25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, while Japan said it would cut emissions by 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.
Coordinator of the Civil Society Forum (CSF), Giorgio Budi welcomed the new targets by developed and developing nations.
"But, the rich nations need to increase emission cuts target at least equal to the IPCC proposal to save the planet from severe impacts of the climate change," he said.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said in its 2007 report that developed nations should cut emissions by between 25 and 40 percent by 2020 below the 1990 level, to avoid the worst impacts in terms of floods, droughts and rising sea levels.
