Carmen Bunzl - Universidad Pontificia Comillas

Chapter 1. Introduction 35
asking for, a concrete commitment to reduce greenhouse gases emissions of 25
to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, but still can be considered significant.
Developing countries have, for the first time, considered “mitigation actions”;
and the US joined the negotiating process after its withdrawal from the Kyoto
Protocol in 2001.
The interplay between international climate politics and domestic elections
was illustrated by the win of Kevin Rudd's Labor Party in Australia. In Bali,
Australia ratified the Kyoto Protocol and declared its intention to reduce
emissions by 60% by 2050 and introduce an emissions trading system. The US
presidential election in November 2008 may have a dramatic impact on the
negotiations of the global climate regime.
In Bali, the “building blocks” of the post-2012 climate regime have been
identified; and negotiations with a clear deadline have been set in motion, COP
15 and COP/MOP 5 in 2009, for the conclusion of an agreement on the post-
2012 period.
Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería ICAI Carmen Bunzl Boulet Junio 2008