2007 (PDF, 2.81 MB) - Belgium

Response to global climate
change a priority
The award of the Nobel Peace Prize to former US
vice-president Al Gore and the UN’s Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), created under the
Kyoto Protocol, shows how the issue of global warming
has quickly become very much an international
political priority and reflects the great concern felt by
the public, who fear that the number of natural disasters
will increase further as a result of climate change.
Belgium and EU playing an active role
The European Union (Belgium included) played a
leading role in raising global awareness of the risks
associated with the plundering of our planet.
The ball started rolling as early as 1992, when the
EU signed the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change at the United Nations Conference
on Environment and Development (Earth Summit)
in Rio. Then in 1997 came the signing of the Kyoto
Protocol, which imposes legally binding individual
targets on industrialised countries for reducing and
limiting their greenhouse gas emissions. Alongside
these targets, though, the protocol also featured
‘flexible mechanisms’ giving polluting countries various
ways of meeting their target. For example, they
can use the carbon emissions market or finance
projects producing clean energy in other countries
(industrialised or developing countries), meaning
that they can accumulate emission credits.
Consequently the EU proposed that all industrialised
countries step up their efforts to reduce emissions
and that close attention be paid to emissions
from sea and air transport. The Union also shifted
the emphasis to focus more on countries’ ‘adaptation’
to climate change. Previously, activities had
centred mainly on reducing emissions (‘mitigation’).
However, it became clear that the old approach was
not yielding sufficient results, while the situation
was rapidly deteriorating.
Why? What’s the point?
Special climate envoy at FPS Foreign Affairs
Recognising the massive international scale of
the problem of climate change, the Minister
for Foreign Affairs created a new position in
the FPS: a special envoy, holding the rank of
ambassador, with specific responsibility for climate
issues.
The special envoy’s job involves a number of
tasks, but the most important is without a
doubt the public diplomacy element, which
aims to improve knowledge of Belgium’s post-
Kyoto policy and the range of concrete measures
that have already been or will be taken to
meet the targets on reducing greenhouse gas
emissions, in Belgium and abroad.
The European Union is determined to unilaterally
reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by
2020 even if no international agreement is reached
on the issue. If a comprehensive agreement materialises
which also includes the large, most heavily
polluting countries, the Union is even willing to cut
its emissions by 30%.
Another part of his duties sees him supporting federal
and regional authorities in the difficult negotiations
that lie ahead, as well as proactively looking out for
Joint Implementation/Clean Development Mechanism
(JI/CDM) projects. Clean development projects are absolutely
essential for Belgium if it wants to meet its
target for reducing emissions.
The proposals made by the EU in Bali take account
of the dramatic decline in the global warming
situation since 1998 and the IPCC’s conclusion
that there is an immediate causal effect linking
human activities (especially industry) and the rise in
temperatures.
The creation of the new position in the FPS has been
very warmly welcomed by the federal and regional
environmental authorities. The private sector and
the relevant segments of civil society, too, are very
pleased with the new post. It acknowledges the key
role the FPS has to play in multilateral negotiations.
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