14 DAY TRIAL // The 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP16) takes place this year in Cancun, Mexico, and the country is apparently taking its role as a host seriously. During a recent meeting, it pledged to take major strides forward in its fight against global warming.
The country has been working on unilaterally reducing its carbon emissions levels between 2008 and 2012. At COP16, officials in the Central American country explained that Mexico has reached 70 percent of its proposed reductions this year.
This is a remarkable achievement, especially given that the county is not operating under any international, legally-binding rules. What's most impressive is that it took initiative in this field, similarly to how the United Kingdom did the same in Europe.
“The Mexican effort is a prime example of a government that takes its commitment to address climate change seriously and acts on them,” explains the leader of the WWF Global Climate Initiative, Gordon Shepherd.
If Mexico gets some financial aid from the developed world, it promises to strive for a 50 percent reduction from past pollution levels by 2050. Other countries in the developing world promise to do the same, provided that rich countries agree to pay up.
According to the WWF, Mexico has more than 105 overall objectives in achieving these reductions. Authorities have already developed some 294 measures aimed at helping them complete these goals.
Some of them focus on energy generation (23 percent), while others revolves around improving the use of energy (12 percent), forestry, agriculture and livestock management (61 percent) and waste (3 percent).
“We also commend Mexican legislators that have developed two initiatives for a General Climate Change Law which are currently before the country´s Parliament,” says official Vanessa Pérez-Cirera.
“An approval of a General Climate Law for Mexico is critical to give political continuity to Mexico´s adaptation and mitigation efforts beyond 2012,” she adds. Pérez-Cirera is the head of the WWF-Mexico Climate Program.
“This is an emerging economy that is acting upon the common but differentiated responsibilities principle of the United Nations,” Shepherd explains.
“This should serve as an inspiration for governments here in Cancun to set aside their political agendas and make real progress on action to fight climate change,” he adds.
The Cancun convention treads on the footsteps of the 2008 Poznan and 2009 Copenhagen meetings, which ended with little tangible results. Hopefully, this year will see a lot more progress being made.