Country Watch
legislation, noting that all countries regulate their citizens’ access to the Internet in one way or an- other. However, Belarus has arguably ventured too far with these restrictions, for example, the websites of all its prominent opposition leaders are now banned within its borders.
*Submitted by Justina LaSalle GHG emissions with each other.
The 2011 Durban Climate Change Conference: Firmer Plans for Climate Control
One hundred and ninety-four countries out of 196 countries were represented in Durban, South Africa at the United Nations (UN) 17th Climate Change Conference to discuss multinational plans to prevent climate change. The conference began November 28 and ended 36 hours after its origi- nally scheduled final day on December 11, 2011. Four main proposals came out of the conference: the extension of the Kyoto Protocol; the creation of the Durban Platform for Enhanced Actions; an agreement to draft a multi-national treaty to re- duce greenhouse gases; and the Green Climate Fund. While these proposals attempt to add a legally-binding component to country commit- ments, many important details still need to be decided. As the UN Security Council recently is- sued a declaration that climate change is a threat to peace and security, the proposals coming from the Durban Climate Conference bode well for continued international collaboration.
The Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Conven- tion on Climate Change (Convention) was ratified in 1998 and entered into force in 2005. The Kyoto Protocol commits the parties who are industrial- ized nations to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 5 percent between 2008 -2012 and to reduce global warming by at least 2 degrees Celsius. Because reducing total green- house gases is difficult, the Convention provides alternative methods the parties can use to reduce their calculated GHG output such as using tech- nology known to reduce GHG or paying to trade
At the Durban Conference, thirty-five industrial- ized nations agreed to extend the Kyoto Protocol from 2012 - 2017; these nations included the Euro- pean Union member states but not China, Russia, or the United States. The parties agreed that the new Kyoto-like protocol, to be finalized by 2015, will have “legal force,” or a legally-enforceable component, but details will have to be approved later by the parties. The use of the term “legal force” represents a compromise between the na- tions, like France, who wanted a “legally binding” agreement and other nations, like China and India, who did not.
The Green Climate Fund (Fund) proposal follows through with efforts of the 2010 Climate Change Conference in Cancún, Mexico (Cancún Confer- ence). Countries agreed that developed nations must establish a $100 billion annual fund for use beginning in 2020. Since developing countries may not have the funds to commit to pollution prevention, the establishment of this Fund is meant to assist developing countries with their anti-pollution endeavors. While parties to the Con- ference agreed to ratify the founding document of the Fund, there was no agreement on how the $100 billion will be raised and which countries would actually contribute to the Fund. As with the Cancún Conference, more work needs to be done before the Green Climate Fund is to become vi- able within the next eight years.
The Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (Dur- ban Platform), an agreement that summarized the key decisions of the Durban Conference, cre- ated a working group which will strive to carry out the goals of the Durban Conference. For example, this group will work mainly on drafting an interna- tional treaty by 2015 where parties must carry out actions meant to minimize their negative impact on climate change. Bill Hare, director of Climate Action Tracker, a website that documents coun- tries’ actions and commitments to reducing GHG
ILSA Quarterly » volume 20 » issue 4 » May 2012
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