Bold energy steps await

Bold energy steps await

A protester dressed as a polar bear attends a demonstration at the COP 23 site, under the banner
A protester dressed as a polar bear attends a demonstration at the COP 23 site, under the banner "Protect the climate, stop coal". (Reuters photo)

The first important international meeting on climate change convenes this evening in Bonn, Germany. Thailand is sending a modest delegation this time. There are two reasons the world will be watching the UN-sponsored Conference of the Parties, or COP 23. It is the first gathering of all countries since US President Donald Trump announced he intends to pull the US out of the process. And it is called to get solid, verifiable pledges from countries on just how much they will cut emissions to ameliorate the effects of global warming.

The Bonn meeting is the follow-up to the 2015 Paris Agreement. While facile coverage of the French conference indicated that everything was on track in this complicated issue, nothing substantial was agreed. Paris set the stage by getting agreement from around the globe to take measures to fight global warming. The meeting, which will last until at least Nov 17, will extract complicated and possibly costly details of just how each nation will proceed.

The United States is the awkward, uninvited guest at this conference. Washington is in fact beset with contradictions. President Trump has announced the US is pulling out of the Paris agreement. But by agreement, it must give notice, and cannot actually withdraw until 2020. Therefore, Washington is sending a proper delegation to Bonn, led by a career diplomat. Officially, members will "protect US interests" but in essence they will be helping to negotiate the terms of the Bonn agreement.

Thus, Bonn is likely to be a two-week hate session against Washington, interspersed with hope that Mr Trump will continue the US membership. Expect some developing countries to take plenty of opportunity to denounce both Mr Trump and the US in general as "climate deniers". The US is likely to respond by championing fossil fuels.

All of that will be gleeful grist for the media, while achieving nothing to reduce emissions. This is the overarching goal of COP 23, although it is difficult at first to cut through pre-conference rhetoric to find that. With luck and planning, however, a group of the world's smallest and most threatened nations aims for progress, not disdain.

The official host of COP 23 is Fiji, and that country has put together a coalition of South Pacific countries with swagger. Suva has organised a dozen nations into a group it calls Pacific Climate Warriors. George Nacewa, the Fijian coordinator, emphasises that these nations are among those most threatened, and at the same time least able to mount any defence against climate change.

That means the Warriors are going to be looking for twin accomplishments in Bonn -- verifiable pledges by every country to reduce emissions, and money. "We know what has to be done to keep our islands above water," says Mr Nacewa. He is going to make headlines within days when he issues the Warriors' demands.

First and foremost will be world agreement to end the fossil fuel era. The Warriors want unanimous pledges to switch to renewable energy. That means a 100% switch. The South Pacific expects the rest of the world to agree to a firm date, not too far in the future, to shut off everything operating on oil, gas, coal and other fossil fuels.

Such a plan is probably overly optimistic for the moment. If we just take Thailand as an example, current energy policy is to add more fossil-fuel generation for an indefinite period. But the Warriors are onto something and deserve support. These South Pacific nations represent the first attempt in 23 of these UN-sponsored meetings to take the world on a revolutionary -- some say inevitable -- path to future energy policy.

Editorial

Bangkok Post editorial column

These editorials represent Bangkok Post thoughts about current issues and situations.

Email : anchaleek@bangkokpost.co.th

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