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PRESS FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY:
United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Bali:
The United Nations Climate Change Conference 2007 in Bali was recently held fromMonday, 3 December to Friday, 14 December 2007. The Conference was presided over  by Indonesian Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar, with support from the UN’sClimate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC), headed by Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer.The first week involved negotiations among the Parties at the level of high-rankinggovernment officials on a wide range of issues. On Wednesday, 12 December, the high-level segment started with addresses by the UN Secretary-General and the President of Indonesia. It was attended by 187 Environment Ministers and 11,000 participants in total.The conference culminated in the adoption of the
Bali Road Map
, which consists of anumber of forward-looking decisions that represent the various tracks that are essential toreaching a secure climate future. The Bali Road Map includes the Bali Action Plan,which charts the course for a new negotiating process designed to tackle climate change,with the aim of completing this by 2009. It also includes the AWG-KP negotiations andtheir 2009 deadline, the launch of the Adaptation Fund, the scope and content of theArticle 9 review of the Kyoto Protocol, as well as decisions on technology transfer andon reducing emissions from deforestation.
UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer said:
This is a real breakthrough, a real opportunity for the international community tosuccessfully fight climate change. "- "Parties have recognized the urgency of action on climate change and have now provided the political response to what scientists have been telling us is needed.”
BALI COMMUNIQUE:
On 30th November 2007, the business leaders of 150 global companies published acommuniqué to world leaders calling for a comprehensive, legally bindingUnited Nationsframework to tackleclimate change. The initiative represents an unprecedented coming together of the international businesscommunity and includes some of the biggest companies and brands from around theworld, including theUnited States,Europe,AustraliaandChina. It has been led by ThePrince of Wales’s UK and EU Corporate Leaders Groups onClimate Change,which are developed and run by the University of CambridgeProgramme for Industry.1
 
PRESS FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY:It is hoped that the Bali Communiqué will have a significant impact on the UN climatenegotiations starting onDecember 3,2007inBali,Indonesia(see2007 United Nations Climate Change Conference).The Bali Communiqué calls for:
•
a comprehensive, legally binding United Nations framework to tackle climatechange
•
emission reduction targets to be guided primarily by science
•
those countries that have already industrialised to make the greatest effort
•
world leaders to seize the window of opportunity and agree on a work plan of negotiations to ensure an agreement can come into force after 2012 (when theexistingKyoto Protocolexpires)
Kyoto protocol:
The Kyoto protocol is an international and legally binding agreement to reducegreenhouse gas emissions worldwide. It came into force in February 2005 after beingagreed at a 1997 UN conference in Kyoto, Japan. A total of 174 nations ratified the pactto reduce the greenhouse gases emitted by developed countries to at least 5% below 1990levels by 2008-12.
What is the Greenhouse Effect?
The term
 greenhouse
is used in conjunction with the phenomenon known as the
 greenhouse effect 
.
•
Energy from the sun drives the earth’s weather and climate, and heats the earth’ssurface;
•
In turn, the earth radiates energy back into space;
•
Some atmospheric gases (water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other gases) trap someof the outgoing energy, retaining heat somewhat like the glass panels of agreenhouse;
•
These gases are therefore known as greenhouse gases;
•
The greenhouse effect is the rise in temperature on Earth as certain gases in theatmosphere trap energy.
Bali roadmap:
After the2007 United Nations Climate Change Conferenceon the islandBaliin Indonesiain December, 2007, the participating nations adopted the Bali Roadmap (alsoknown as the Bali Action Plan) as a two-year process to finalizing a binding agreement in2009 inDenmark .2
 
PRESS FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY:
Cutting emissions:
The nations acknowledge that evidence for global warmingis unequivocal, and thathumans must reduce emissions to reduce the risks of "severe climate change impacts".There was a strong consensus for updated changes for both developed and developingcountries. Although there were not specific numbers agreed upon in order to cutemissions, many countries agreed that there was a need for "deep cuts in globalemissions" and that "developed country emissions must fall 10-40% by 2020".
Charges of hypocrisy:
The December 2007 global warming conference in Bali contributed to global warming inthe following ways:
•
A November 25, 2007 article inTimes Onlinereported that it was estimated thatthat year's conference would release the equivalent of 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide.
•
A December 18, 2007 article in theSydney Morning Heraldrevealed newinformation that brought this total even higher. According to the article, a specialcustomair conditioningsystem was installed specifically for the conference. Theair conditioning system usedhydrochlorofluorocarbons,an outdated refrigerantgas that is especially bad for the problem of global warming. According to thearticle, the air conditioning used during the conference released the equivalent of 48,000 tons of carbon dioxide. The article stated, "... the refrigerant is a potentgreenhouse gas, with each kilogram at least as damaging as 1.7 tonnes of carbondioxide. Investigators at the Balinese resort complex at Nusa Duacounted 700cylinders of the gas, each of them weighing 13.5 kilograms, and the system wasvisibly leaking ForestsThe nations pledge "policy approaches and positive incentives" to protect forests.
 Adaptation:
The nations opt for enhanced co-operation to "support urgent implementation" of measures to protect poorer countries against climate change impacts.
Technology transfer:
The nations will consider how to facilitate the transfer of clean technologies fromindustrialised nations to the developing countries.3
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