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Published on December 12, 2007

The engineering side of the Kyoto protocol has been its most successful aspect, preventing an estimated 2.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide from being released into the air.

"Emission reductions delivered by clean mechanism developments (CMDs) has grown fourfold

to the equivalent of more than 2.2 billion tonnes of carbon

dioxide, approximately the combined emissions of Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom," United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change officials said.

They were reporting on the progress of the protocol at the UN conference on climate change in Bali.

New efforts for commitments to reductions will intensify over the coming 20 days. The agreement enters a new commitment period between 2008 and 2012.

"Overall, more than 860 CMDs have been registered to date, with around 2,800 more in the pipeline," they said.

They reported success with the adaptation fund, which finances projects and programmes in developing countries. Its money comes from a share of proceeds of CMDs.

The framework convention agreed, after years of debate, to replace as adaptation-fund administrator the Global Environment Fund. This was demanded by developing countries because of the lack of flexibility in the adaptation fund's administration.

In spite of progress with CMDs - one of three main mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gases - Kyoto officials are often asked about steps forward for the others: emission trading and joint implementation.

Framework officials said yesterday this would become obvious after the new commitment period kicks off on New Year's Day.

During the period, 36 industrialised countries and the European Union must reduce emissions 5 per cent against their 1990 levels.

The three mechanisms will be key tools to get them to their target reductions, the framework officials said.

"However, it does not mean that after 2012, the Kyoto Protocol is ended. It is just the end of the first commitment period," its statement said.

Outside the conference, international development and relief agency Oxfam joined senior officials from Bangladesh, Tuvalu and Uganda and the Alliance of Small Island States viewing Al Gore's presentation of his film "An Inconvenient Truth".

They displayed a graph showing "climate injustice", which plots carbon emissions per person in the richest and poorest countries against their respective incomes.

They called on mandatory targets for rich countries to pay more to the adaptation fund. "The great injustice is that those countries that are not really responsible for causing climate change are first and worst hit, and are least equipped to deal with its impact," Kate Raworth of Oxfam said.

"This finance is not aid and these are not donors. The high-polluting and rich countries owe compensatory finance to the world's poorest so that they can cope with unavoidable climate change," she said.

"By Oxfam's calculations, the cost of urgent adaptation programmes is around US$1 billion (Bt33.7 billion) to $2 billion. But, to date, only $67 million has been delivered by rich countries," she added.

"We urgently need finance, technology and support from rich countries," said Uganda's Environment Minister, Maria Mutagamba.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Yongyuth Yuthavong lead Thailand's delegation to the framework convention. The officials arrived yesterday for the high-level meeting today.

Meanwhile conference participants sang "Happy Birthday" to Kyoto shortly after a giant cake was brought to the plenary hall of the Bali International Convention Centre yesterday afternoon.

The convention winds up on Friday.

Kamol Sukin

The Nation

BALI