Best Gynaecologist, In Mumbai

Bali im gewerkschaftlichen Rückblick

Horst Heuter

At the end of this blog I want to let the world climate summit in Bali briefly pass in review. With over 11,000 participants from 187 countries, including 144 ministers of the twelve-day summit was a mammoth event.

following official bodies gathered in Bali:

• 13th Conference of the Parties to the UN Climate Change Convention (COP 13)
• third Meeting of States participating in the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 3)
• 27th Meeting of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technical Experts (SBSTA 27)
• 27th Meeting of the Subsidiary Body for implementation issues (SBI 27)
• 4th Meeting of the ad-hoc working group to further commitments of Annex I Parties (AWG 4).

Apart from these official committee meetings were about 400 side events (side event) instead.

Our conclusion

Man-made climate change was recognized as a reality. Letzte Zweifel an dieser Tatsache hat der 4. Bericht des Klimarats der Vereinten Nationen (IPCC) ausgeräumt. Der Klimawandel wird ernsthafte Auswirkungen auf die ökonomische, ökologische und soziale Entwicklung weltweit haben. Um Schlimmeres zu verhindern, muss sofort gehandelt werden. Auch ist sofortiges Handeln kostengünstiger als unterlassener Klimaschutz, der höhere Kosten in der Zukunft zur Folge hätte.

Da Klimaschutz Fragen von inter- und intragene¬rativer Gerechtigkeit auf globaler Ebene umfasst, stellt die UN-Klimarahmen¬konvention die richtige Plattform dar, notwendige Maßnahmen auf internationaler Ebene zu koordinieren.

Hierbei handelt es sich um eine Daueraufgabe. Tatsache ist jedoch, that the Kyoto Protocol, in which the commitments to emissions reductions for developed countries agreed, expires in 2012, that is already in four years. It must be ensured, therefore, that after 2012 no "gap" with regard to other necessary emission reductions - not only the industrialized countries - is formed.

The starting point for negotiations on such a "post-Kyoto Protocol" was added to the climate summit in Bali. More than this minimum international consensus was not reached and was not expected in advance, as my rating shows for the Federal Executive Board, 27.7.2007.

More results

decisions of the COP 13 and CMP 3, there were others to

- Bali Action Plan ("Bali Road Map"),
- Adaptation Fund,
- Reduction of emissions caused by deforestation in developing countries,
- Programme budget for the period 2008-2009,
- date and place of the 14th and 15 COP.

The focus of the decisions is the Bali Action Plan. It even contains no specific greenhouse gas reduction targets, but makes a compromise formula regarding the 4th IPCC assessment report. This means 25 to 40 percent emission reduction as a required climate protection target of developed countries for the period 1990 to 2020.

Laut Aktionsplan sollen Klimaschutzmaßnahmen erreicht werden durch:

• Vermeidungsverpflichtungen oder -aktivitäten (commitments or actions) für Industriestaaten
• Angemessene Vermeidungsaktivitäten (actions) für Entwicklungs- und Schwellenländer
• Konzepte und positive Anreize zur Minderung der Emissionen durch Entwaldung in Entwicklungsländern (derzeit 20 Prozent der Treibhausgas-Emissionen weltweit)
• Berücksichtigung der ökonomischen und sozialen Auswirkungen der Maßnahmen.

Ein "Post-Kyoto-Protokoll" nach 2012 soll gemäß Aktionsplan von Bali auf der 15. Vertragsstaaten-Konferenz der Klimarahmenkonvention (COP 15) be adopted in Copenhagen. To this end, in Bali, set up a ad-hoc working group to report first the COP 14 in Poznan in December 2008.

Trade union participation and activities

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), contributed a 80-member delegation from 28 countries at the world climate summit. Holger Bartels (IG BAU), Tina Löffelsend (Foundation for Social Society - Sustainable development of the IG BAU) and Horst Today (DGB) took the German side.

The focus of our demands was the support of a greenhouse gas reduction target for developed countries by 85 percent by 2050. Here, the potential of "green jobs" were highlighted, but also stressed the need to consider social consequences. The ITUC calls for action on a "just transition" to see to it that the much-required mitigation measures carried out in a fair manner.

The detailed explanation of the trade unions for the COP 13 is found as a PDF at the end of the blog.

Certainly it is a success that our request was taken after consideration of social impacts in the Bali Action Plan. Above all, Bali was a success for the unions because we are the first time at a World Climate Conference recognized as a "major group" teilnahmen. Wir hatten offiziellen Beobachterstatus, ein Konferenzbüro und erhielten Rederecht vor der Vollversammlung im Rahmen der NGO-Statements.

Zu unseren vielfältigen Aktivitäten auf der COP 13 gehörten u.a.:

• Abgabe einer formellen Gewerkschaftserklärung
• Beobachtung des Weltklimagipfels und Teilnahme an den offiziellen Aktivitäten durch tägliche Zusammenkünfte
• Facharbeit in zwölf Arbeitsgruppen
• Organisation einer hochkarätig besetzten und gut besuchten formellen Nebenveranstaltung des Klimagipfels am 12.12.2007 sowie mehrerer weiterer informeller side events
• Organisation einzelner Delegationssitzungen mit Ministern oder Ministries from more than 20 countries, including from a German perspective particularly relevant with Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul and BMU-Head Urban Rid
• coordinator of the exhibition stand during the two-week climate summit
• Speech by Mr Tony Maher, Chairman of the Union for Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy, on behalf of the Australian Federation of Trade Unions, the General Assembly on 14.12.2007. mentioned

The DGB especially the good cooperation with the official German delegation in Bali (especially BMU and BMZ) was. So I was able to participate in daily morning rounds of the German delegation led by Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel get the opportunity to get first-hand.

in various bilateral and multilateral talks, we were able to convince our partners of the importance of social standards and workers' participation - not least in carbon offset projects in developing countries.

premiere for the participation of the DGB to a climate summit was the establishment of this climate blog with daily reports with text and images from Bali.

PDF Download: The results of Bali (BMU)
PDF Download: Statement by the unions to COP 13