The impact of changing climate as a threat to human survival is a fact. To cope with this unprecedented challenge, the Eighth Conference of Parties (CoP-8) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) met for ten days in New Delhi, but reached no concrete solutions to limit green house gas (GHG) emissions that causes climate change. The Conference did manage to achieve a consensus declaration at the fag end of the meeting that includes provisions to satisfy all countries. The Climate Action Network (CAN), an NGO, described the outcome as ‘Deadlock in Delhi’. Sunita Narain, Director of the Center for Science and Environment, New Delhi, categorized the outcome as ‘weak and visionless’. The Delhi Declaration focuses on the development needs of the poorest countries but includes no further commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions after the Kyoto Protocol's first phase.

  The ‘Delhi Declaration on Climate Change and Sustainable Development’ was redrafted and revised several times and much care was taken to appease all members by the President of the Conference, the Indian Minister of Environment and Forests. After a delay of more than eight hours that saw last-ditch efforts to avert a collapse of the U.N.-sponsored climate change talks, environment ministers from 169 countries approved the Declaration. The final draft embodied the hard bargaining and uncompromising positions of the countries present. The Kyoto Protocol attracted much tough negotiation among the countries. Only under continued pressure from European Union (EU), has a reference to the Protocol appeared in the final wording of the declaration. It says, “ the parties that have ratified the Kyoto protocol should strongly urge parties that have not already done so to ratify it in a timely manner”. The reference to the Protocol is cosmetic because it has not been signed by the US.

  The Kyoto Protocol that was signed at CoP-3 in Japan demands that 34 industrialized countries including the US, Japan, EU, and other OECD countries should cut down 5.2 per cent (on average) of their GHG emissions below the 1990 levels in the period 2008-2012. Noting that the US contributes 25 per cent to GHG emissions, it dropped out of the Protocol along with Australia. Paula Dobriansky, the US Under Secretary of State, said, “The Kyoto Protocol is costly, ineffective and unfair. It is also impractical and unrealistic”. So far, 96 parties have ratified the Protocol. The Russian Federation, Canada and other countries are expected to ratify it the near future.

  Another issue that agitated the Conference is the inclusion of an emission reduction commitment from the developing countries. The EU had insisted that every member makes some commitment to reduce emissions. It also stressed a dialogue process being started now for looking beyond 2012 when developing countries are also expected to make commitments. Echoing the EU on this issue, New Zealand, Japan, Australia and Saudi Arabia wanted all the countries to contribute in the task of reversing climate change.

  The Delhi Declaration focused on ways to help developing countries to adapt to climate change and urges governments to promote technological advances through R&D and promote the transfer of technologies that can help reduce GHG emissions- especially CO2 from fossil fuels. However, the declaration gives more leeway to the developing countries as it holds that ‘economic and social development and poverty eradication are the first and overriding priorities of developing countries’. 

  Some progress has been achieved in terms of technical issues. The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) by which developed countries can invest in emission-saving projects in developing countries and thereby earn carbon credits has been put in place. The finalization of the system of reporting national emission and registry of GHG emissions and methodologies for national communications to the UNFCCC Secretariat has also been accepted.

  Whether the Conference was a success in terms of meeting the objectives of the UNFCCC, is a question that will perhaps be answered in the meetings of the CoP-9 in Italy in December 2003. The most vulnerable small island states cannot sit through meeting after meeting, year after year, without the objectives of the Kyoto Protocol being met. The time has come for the world to act now.