PRESS CONFERENCE BY DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF UNITED KINGDOM

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE BY DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF UNITED KINGDOM

At a Headquarters press conference this morning, the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, John Prescott, called on the developing nations to sign the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Speaking on behalf of the European Union after signing the Protocol, he said the developing countries must become more involved. Climate change was a global problem requiring a global solution. The developed world led the way by accepting legally binding emissions targets at the Conference of the Parties to the Convention held in Kyoto, Japan, late December.

Mr. Prescott was accompanied by European Commissioner for Environmental Affairs, Ritt Bjerregaard.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the signing of the Protocol by developed countries was an indication of their seriousness to look for global solutions to the problem of climate change. The negotiating session of the Protocol -- the Fourth Conference of the Parties, which would be held in Buenos Aires from 2 to 13 November, should widen the Protocol through the increasing involvement of developing countries.

Apart from discussing the forthcoming Conference with Argentina, he promised to talk to a number of developing countries, including China and members of the "Group of 77" and the Commonwealth. Global solution must be found to a global problem and Europe would play a major part in that. It was a particularly proud day for those who had been involved in the intense negotiations of the Protocol to see it signed today at the United Nations.

He said it was important that the treaty be ratified; that process had started today with the signing. Some 34 States had signed it. Later today, Ireland would be signing, which meant that all the members of the European Union would have signed. It was a proud day for the European Union. Europe had led the way in Kyoto last year. Signing the Protocol today clearly signaled the Union's continued commitment to its objectives and benefits. However more work still needed to be done to live to the promise and expectations of the ground-breaking Kyoto agreement.

Continuing, he said the international community was now entering the "window of credibility" -- the period in which the unfinished business of Kyoto would have to be dealt with. The world must endeavour to make real progress on those issues at the next Conference of the Parties. A firm timetable for future work on those issues must be set.

He said the issue of an international emissions trading regime that would allow industrialized countries to buy and sell emissions credits among themselves should be applied to only real emissions reductions and not to any hot air from Parties slack in their targets. He said trading regime must ensure accountability, transparency, and it must be open to all parties. There should be no formation of closed cartels, secret or otherwise.

Press Conference by United Kingdom - 2 - 29 April 1998

He said there were outstanding issues that needed to be resolved, such as flexible mechanism in emissions trading and joint implementation. The international community has to get the rules absolutely right in those three important areas. That would enable parties to meet their emissions reductions commitments. The European Union supported flexible mechanism as an efficient means to cost-effective emissions reductions.

However, he said, the Union would not allow that mechanism to be used as a substitute for domestic action for emissions reduction. That was why the Union was pressing for a final cap on the use of the flexible mechanism so that the amount and form of the cap were clearly considered. Those matters needed to be discussed in a rational way. The best way would be to review every party's commitments. Human beings only held this world in trust for their children's children and must do everything to solve the problem of climate change.

In a brief statement, Ritt Bjerregaard, European Commissioner for Environmental Affairs, said the Union had taken the lead and would continue to do so. The Union hoped to see the United States sign the treaty as early as possible.

Asked if the main challenge was getting the United States to sign the treaty and its Senate to ratify it, Mr. Prescott said the Union was talking to the United States and was satisfied that it would sign the Protocol. But the real issue would be ratification and that could take a couple of years. The American position was whether a global solution involved everybody, and what role the developing countries should play. The fact that some developing countries had signed the Protocol was an indication that a global solution was being sought for climate change. But the developed countries had to lead the way.

Responding to the same question, Mr. Bjerregaard said the Union would like to see American support for the proposal on climate change which President William Clinton had submitted to the United States Congress.

Asked which countries of the "Group of 77" were being targeted, Mr. Prescott said no country in particular was being targeted. But the European Union would discuss with the Group of 77 to start the first step towards implementing the Protocol. The Group of 77 was important. China too had an important role to play in its sphere of influence, and so was India within the Commonwealth. There were many issues which affected them -- clean investment funds and trading in emissions.

A correspondent wanted to know what emissions targets had been set by developed countries. Mr. Prescott said discussions were still being carried out on that issue. There was an agreed burden-sharing before Kyoto. Some changes were made at Kyoto with regard to gases. Some adjustments were currently being talked about, and the Union hoped for an agreement.

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