New York- European Union officials voiced disappointment and frustration Thursday that the conference on sustainable development taking place at UN headquarters had not made progress in working out solutions to address the urgent problem of global warming. The unhappiness was palpable at the 10-day-old discussion on climate change, energy efficiencies and issues related to economic development, which turned into a confrontation between the developed and developing nations.
Delegates spoke of a climate of "distrust."
On an administrative issue, the EU and United States are opposing the possible election of Zimbabwe's Environment Minister Francis Nhema as the next chairman for the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD).
"What we see here is a lot of papers," said Sigma Gabriel, Germany's minister for the environment and president of the EU environment council. "We cannot find real progress."
Gabriel said dozens of participants to the CSD expressed "sadness" at the pace to discussion and believe the commission should be reformed in order to get a "new structure and new impetus to save this conference."
Sustainable development is based on the concept that the planet's resources should be preserved for future generations while they are meeting the needs of the present generations.
The conference followed the publication of three progress reports on climate change and recommendations by an international panel on climate change to modify human behaviours in order to prevent the worst consequences, including a rise in average temperatures that could have huge and disastrous impact on humanity.
The panel predicted that even in the best case scenario, with a reversal of carbon emissions, average temperatures will rise 1.1 to 2.9 degrees this century, and in the worst case, up to 6.4 degrees.
The Commissioner for Environment in the European Commission, Stavros Ditmas, said "little progress" had been made to deal with issues of energy efficacies, air pollution and support for programmes for poverty reduction in the conference.
Both Gabriel and Ditmas said programmes for energy efficiencies would have a direct effect on the reduction of poverty because an estimated 1.7 billion people on earth currently lack access to energy to improve living conditions.
Gabriel said the EU has adopted unilateral programmes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent by 2020 in addition to what developed nations have agreed on for emission reductions.
Other participants, particularly the Norwegians, said this week that a climate of distrust had developed in the CSD conference, particularly between the developed countries and the economic group, known as G-77 and China, composed mainly of developing and underdeveloped countries.
The two sides also clashed on the issue of appointing the next CSD chairman. Africa had agreed on Zimbabwe's Nhema, womWestern governments oppose because Zimbabwe is a repressive government that they say has no respect for human rights.
Gabriel and Dimas said the EU is opposed to Nhema as a member of the government headed by President Robert Mugabe, but would accept another individual outside the government or another African candidate. The CSD chairmanship rotates among continents and it's now Africa's turn.
"We have asked our African colleagues to be aware of the situation," said Gabriel, adding that the solution would be for Africa to discuss the problem and solve it in a way that would not harm efforts to combat climate change.
The EU has expressed support for Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's proposal to draw up plans for effective use of energy and development of renewable energy sources through cleaner energy technologies, which can create jobs, boost industrial development, reduce air pollution and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
