Bali Tourism News

Bali charts future of world climate change

December 28th, 2007

Publication Date：12/27/2007       Section：Commentary
By TJ editor
The United Nations conference on climate change ended Dec. 14 on the resort island of Bali, Indonesia, with the adoption of the Bali Roadmap to replace the Kyoto Protocol that is set to expire in 2012.

Over 10,000 participants from more than 190 countries attended the meeting. It was the first time Bali had hosted an event on such a scale, which is highly significant considering the tragic event that occurred on the island five years ago.

In 2002, Bali was the target of a terrorist attack that killed more than 200 people. The selection of Bali as the venue undoubtedly signifies that Indonesia has made substantial progress in rooting out Muslim extremists from the country’s sprawling archipelago. Hosting the conference should help restore confidence in the island as a tourist destination, and also show the world how concerned Indonesia is with global issues.

The failure of the non-binding Kyoto Protocol to bring nations together shows that global climate change is a complex issue without an easy solution. The protocol has been rendered toothless because very little common ground has been found between developed and developing countries, regarding the establishment of a unanimous agenda for dealing with the problem of greenhouse-gas emissions.

It was therefore prudent–a long time before the Kyoto Protocol becomes history–for the United Nations to sponsor December’s meeting to combat the issues at stake before it is too late. The Bali convention provided experts with an opportunity to examine some of the strengths and weaknesses of the Kyoto Protocol, to evaluate new research findings and proposals, and, ultimately, to endorse the Bali Roadmap.

The meeting highlighted the need to link climate change with economic growth and poverty in developing countries–a crucial dilemma because emerging nations are some of the main victims of global warming. The conference also developed a program for the reduction of carbon emissions in developed economies and curtailing deforestation in developing nations.

A major triumph was the United States–the world’s biggest polluter–finally indicating its willingness to contribute in efforts to save the planet from further harm. In short, flexibility and compromise made the Bali Roadmap a reality.

As part of the international community, Taiwan looks forward to making the Earth greener and more habitable for the world’s citizens. More importantly, the government has set out to reduce Taiwan’s annual carbon-dioxide emission rate to 2000’s level by 2025.

Source: http://taiwanjournal.nat.gov.tw/

Entry Filed under: Bali Tourism News