Meena Raman: The developed countries have gained quite a bit [at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancún] because the proposals in there [in the COP16 Outcome] really take them off the hook in terms of doing the real kind of emission reduction they need to do and a lot of responsibility has been shifted to developing countries. . . . If you look at the fund . . . in the details about the mobilizing of $100 billion . . . it is a commitment to mobilize, not even the actual giving of $100 billion. And if you further look at the words, it says: “in the context of [meaningful] mitigation [actions] and transparency [on implementation],” then you’ll get the money. Now, in the [United Nations Framework] Convention [on Climate Change], there is no such conditionality. This is a conditionality. This is from the Copenhagen Accord. . . . [Looking at] the details in terms of how the mitigation paradigm has changed from one which is legally binding — the Kyoto Protocol with an aggregate target which is system-based, science based — to one which is voluntary, a pledge-and-review system, I’m really, really concerned: this is not going to take us where we want. I am completely in sympathy with the delegation from Bolivia. . . . We have literally allowed the Kyoto Protocol to collapse, in a slow death fashion. . . . Many scientists have come together and talked about this [the Copenhagen pledges] going to lead to a 3 to 4 degree world.
Meena Raman is a legal adviser and senior researcher with the Third World Network. This video was released by OneWorldTV on 11 December 2010. The text above is an edited partial transcript of the video. See, also, Martin Khor, “Cancun Climate Conference: Some Key Issues” (South Centre, November 2010).
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