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By Francesco Rizzo The countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) can take some solace from the disappointing July climate change negotiations in Bonn. "In the beginning, many of us were very afraid that everything would fall apart," said Tibor Farago of the Hungarian delegation. "But in the end, this was an unprecedented agreement, a very good compromise." Aside from being good for the world in general, the continuation of the Kyoto Protocol, which spells out the levels of harmful green-house gases (GHGs) that each country can emit, provides unique advantages for CEE countries. It was especially good news for CEE that the deal in Bonn sets no limits on the so-called Kyoto mechanisms, such as emissions trading and joint implementation. In most CEE countries, GHG emissions are already far below the "base year emissions." This decline in emissions is primarily a result of the severe economic recession in the early 1990s, as well as market reforms introduced over the last decade that have improved energy efficiency in some countries. Emissions in most CEE countries are still under the level they were at in 1990, but they are rising. If CEE countries can maintain a low level of GHG emissions, they can take advantage of emissions trading, where a country that emits too much gives money to another country for keeping emissions down, and joint implementation, where country's that exceed their emissions get special credit for helping build clean technologies in less developed nations. Under these, and other Kyoto mechanisms, CEE countries, could gain direct cash payments, upgraded technological capacity, improved energy efficiency and side benefits like better air quality and health. But CEE governments are at the risk of losing this advantage, because they currently give climate change a low priority. The one exception is Romania, which is the only country among CEE countries, and among all "Annex I" industrialised countries, to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Francesco Rizzo is a project manager at the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe. |
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