Queensland Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce believes the failure to arrive at a climate change consensus in Bangkok will be repeated at Copenhagen.
After two weeks a gathering of 190 nations in Bangkok failed to arrive at any consensus over climate change. With less than 60 days until the Copenhagen meeting the Bangkok gathering was supposed to be an opportunity to lay the foundations for the Copenhagen summit to be held in December.
Senator Joyce said the failure of the Bangkok meeting is yet another reason why Australia should not rush into any international agreement until there is clear consensus. The inability for an international agreement stems from disagreement between developing and developed nations.
After the Bangkok talks the United States and China are still unable to come to a satisfactory agreement. Developing nations are seeking financial assistance from developed nations to introduce cleaner technologies.
Senator Joyce said Penny Wong’s solution to assist developing nations such as China to reduce emissions is to allow them to increase emissions. Penny Wong is arguing countries like China should be entitled to produce more emissions and set their own targets because they are an emerging economy.
If that is the case, then why can’t parts of rural and regional Australia, with their developing economies, be allowed the same concession?
The recent Bangkok meeting shows that the international community will be unable to come to any meaningful consensus. Therefore, Australia must make its own arrangements.
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