Bali is the right venue for new negotiations on the way forward to save the planet from the devastating effects of global warming. It has witnessed extreme natural disasters and seen smaller isles submerge as sea level rises.
World leaders restart their talks which experts believe could be the last chance to save the Earth from catastrophic climate change.
They are expected to agree to a new international treaty to continue the work of the Kyoto Protocol after 2012 and cut greenhouse gas emissions. Or, they may agree to a roadmap or timetable for more negotiations.
Whatever the outcome of the Bali conference, a new treaty is a matter of urgency for the world leaders. Governments are expected to send their senior figures to finalize any agreement in the last three days of the conference.
Xie Zhenhua, vice-minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, will head a high-level Chinese delegation.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol have laid a solid legal foundation for the international community to deal with climate change. China will support an international treaty on climate change after 2012 under the framework of the two documents.
The target to cut emissions for developed countries should be set as soon as possible. To sharpen developing countries' edge to handle climate change, developed nations are expected to offer them financial and technological support.
China is watching and waiting for substantial results from the conference, as it is also not safe from the catastrophic consequences of global warming. An average rise of its temperature by 1.7 C from 2020 to 2030 will bring physical changes to the country. Also, it will make living conditions portentous.
So, China is committed to working hard for a sustainable development.
The world leaders have started bargaining a new international climate deal that addresses the interests of both developed and developing countries. An agreement of this kind will make everyone a winner.
If a decision to hold more negotiations is taken, if an agenda for the negotiations is agreed, and if an end-date for completing negotiations is set, the Bali conference will have been a success.
"Anything short of that will constitute a failure," Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the conference, said before the meeting.
(China Daily December 4, 2007)
