Delegates from all representative countries gathered for an informal dinner prior to the opening round of negotiations at the Barcelona Climate Change Summit 2013. Early movers on talks were the US and China, whose delegates were seen sharing a table. Although the US appears to be committed to the demands of climate change it regards the burden it carries from its past as 'not important'. Both sets of delegates, however, were uninterested in sharing their positions with the media. Allegations of press censorship by the US are already particularly strong, although there is yet to be confirmation of this.
Among the few topics discussed, the issue of nuclear energy attracted much attention. A representative of Greenpeace, in talks with delegates from various countries, stated clearly that nuclear energy is not an economically viable option. Nevertheless, interesting differences are already being observed between the strategies of countries. In general, emerging economies like Brazil, Indonesia and Russia are seeking to increase their dependency on nuclear energy in the near future, while more advanced economies like the UK, France and Japan outlined their intentions to downscale their use of nuclear as an energy source. In the case of Japan, the aim is to completely get rid of the nuclear option, according to information provided by a Japanese delegate. Whether these differences play out in the opening round of negotiations remains to be seen.
No comments:
Post a Comment