So why are different groups, such as CAN<\/a>, YOUNGO<\/a> (see their interesting Ode to Kyoto<\/a> video), and AOSIS <\/a>holding on so tight to pushing through a second committment period of the Kyoto Protocol (hereafter referred to as KP2)? Because it\u2019s a symbol. To anyone without the financial means to mitigate and adapt to climate change, agreeing to a KP2 means that they are committed to the UNFCCC process. They commit to participating in COP, whatever the outcomes are. Kyoto is a symbol of participation, not success. So, yes, I’d wear a shirt that reads “I <3 KP,” but I actually don’t heart KP. In fact, KP stinks. It has largely failed. Most countries have not even reached their targets. Nor has there been any discussion here at COP about possible consequences for not doing so. And even if they had pledged in the first place (ahem, the US), or even met their targets (everyone else), it still wouldn’t be enough.<\/p>\n I actually don't heart the Kyoto Protocol.<\/p><\/div>\n For countries who are a part of AOSIS, they have no other means of representation on a global scale with regards to this global problem that hits (literally) them right at home. Leading up to this conference, as well as during the last two weeks, many delegates have tossed around the possibility of the UNFCCC dying. Bilateral agreements between the US and China, or agreements made at the G20<\/a> may be more efficient for making decisions on climate change, but they are by no means fair (Saleem Huq, IIED<\/a>). The most vulnerable, the developing, are not a part of those negotiations. Without the UNFCCC, without a symbol of cooperation and agreement such as the Kyoto Protocol, AOSIS, SIDS, LDCs have nothing. As President of the UNFCCC Christiana Figueres said with regard to ending the UNFCCC, “There is no other option.”<\/p>\n The meaning of signing on to Kyoto does not mean mitigating in time. It means developed and developing countries agreeing to “keep coming to the [negotiating] table,” so to speak. I argue that COP17, with regards to this whole KP mess, is a fail. We’re still going down quickly. That is, as sea level rises on the shores of the small islands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Claire Tighe \u201913![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/cop17durban\/files\/2011\/12\/img_1334-300x225.jpg\")
<\/a>
\nAnyone with common sense at this conference would agree that signing on to the Kyoto Protocol would not mitigate enough GHG emissions to prevent catastrophic climate change. Even though, as Dr. Pachuari of the IPCC stated during our breakfast yesterday, science and the COP negotiations have become ever disjointed, most parties present here understand that attempting to mitigate, is not enough.
\nSo why are different groups, such as CAN, YOUNGO (see their interesting Ode to Kyoto video), and AOSIS holding on so tight to pushing through a second committment period of the Kyoto Protocol (hereafter referred to as KP2)? Because it\u2019s a symbol. To anyone without the financial means to mitigate and adapt to climate change, agreeing to a KP2 means that they are committed to the UNFCCC process. They commit to participating in COP, whatever the outcomes are. Kyoto is a symbol of participation, not success. So, yes, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":529,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19448,19446,40558,22261,34197,42301,1857],"tags":[17730,1301,34311,34302,40551,34192,2520,1567,40552,34251,34235,1907,1620,1458,1573,34249],"class_list":["post-1911","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-climate-change-2","category-environmental-justice","category-climate-change-politics","category-featured","category-key-cop17-issues","category-climate-change-mosaic","category-student-research","tag-claire-tighe","tag-climate-change","tag-climate-change-negotiations","tag-climate-negotiations","tag-cop-17","tag-cop17","tag-developed-countries","tag-developing-countries","tag-durban","tag-global-climate-change","tag-governing-climate-change","tag-international-cooperation","tag-ipcc","tag-kyoto-protocol","tag-mitigation","tag-unfccc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/cop17durban\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1911","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/cop17durban\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/cop17durban\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/cop17durban\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/529"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/cop17durban\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1911"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/cop17durban\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1911\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/cop17durban\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/cop17durban\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/cop17durban\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}