Ukraine Alligns With Russia in Delaying Pollution Limit
Ukraine, having found an unlikely alliance with Russia at UN talks on global warming, reversed its position to back the European Union on ratifying a treaty that limits pollution.
In a last-minute U-turn, Ukraine gave up demands to delay rules on the second stage of commitments under the Kyoto Protocol. Earlier this week, the nation stood with Russia in seeking to hold up rules needed to bring the treaty into force because they cut potential earnings from emissions credits.
Countries in Eastern Europe built up a surplus of Assigned Amount Units, which is the UN currency for limiting fossil-fuel emissions, after their economies collapsed in the 1990s with the fall of Communism. Until today, Ukraine was seeking more discussion on the rules on selling of those units or using them to comply with future pollution. The European Union signaled it will not agree to changes in the accounting methods.
We were waiting for a final decision of our minister, Vitaliy Kindrativ, Ukraines deputy head of department at the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, said in an interview in Lima. Today we met the German delegation and the European Union delegation, and we confirmed that the EU way is the only way for Ukraine. We agreed on the text and the Kyoto rules.
The Kyoto Protocol limits greenhouse pollutants in industrialized nations, leaving poorer countries to make only voluntary commitments. The first phase of the treatys limits ran to 2012, and nations now are working to ratify the second commitment period of the deal that has limits through 2020.
Ukraine has limits through 2020 under Kyoto, though Russia decided not to join in the second period. Carbon trading mechanisms and accounting rules are administered by the UN conference, which is due to finish its annual meeting today in Lima, Peru.
Its up to the presiding officer at the UN climate talks whether to re-open the issue or postpone it until June. If he does, envoys from 190 nations would need to come to a consensus on the issue. The rules would enable ratification of the 2013-2020 phase of the Kyoto Protocol.
A Russian delegate to the talks demanded at a meeting on Dec. 10 more discussions on the text of the decision, and Belarus backed it. The Ukrainian negotiator told the gathering that as her country is in an extremely difficult humanitarian, social and economic situation, its more difficult to comply with the rules on carbon pollution.
Ukraine is trying to halt hostilities and start new talks with the pro-Russian insurgents its fighting in its eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The crisis has triggered Russias worst standoff since the Cold War with the U.S. and Europe. Russia denies its involved in the conflict.
Caps on the emissions of countries under the Kyoto Protocol are represented by Assigned Amount Units, handed out to nations that take on legally binding targets. Those that exceed their pollution limits may buy AAUs from ones that enact deeper cuts than required.
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Ukraine Alligns With Russia in Delaying Pollution Limit