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Washington and the European Union had serious differences over setting specific targets. Washington balked at suggestions by the EU that any agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol on global warming should require developed countries to cut their emissions by 25 to 40 percent of 1990 levels by 2020.
The Europeans pushed for an agreement that contained specific numbers for emissions cuts, but Washington wanted to leave room for future negotiations, including next month's U.S.-sponsored climate talks in Hawaii. In the end, the targets were not part of the agreement, but were included in a footnote.
Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, who accepted the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on climate change awareness, complained, "My own country, the United States, is principally responsible for obstructing progress here in Bali. We all know that."
As a superpower in implementing and supervising international treaties, the United States should not delay crucial action on climate change again and again. In the face of an urgent global need, the United States should not take a narrow-minded view focused on protecting its own national interests. As the biggest developed country, the United States is particularly responsible for stopping the deterioration of the global environment.
U.S. participation is crucial if the trend toward global warming is to be stopped. The U.S. attitude sets an example for other industrialized countries, and U.S. disengagement from the treaty process would affect the attitudes of industrialized countries. If the United States remains negative over approving the treaty that will replace the Kyoto accord in 2012, other countries, especially developed countries like Japan and Canada, would follow suit.
The U.S. attitude not only shakes uncertain countries such as Australia, but also affects the determination of those who have signed the treaty; they may withdraw from the treaty or become inactive in implementing it in the future. This could generate other problems in the future, including a crisis of credibility over the ability of governments to manage the future of the planet.
As a global leader, the United States should reflect on its own development, as should the world's other developed countries. They should be aware that their economic prosperity has been the chief contributor to today's climate crisis.
For over a century they have advanced in industrialization and modernization without much thought for the developing countries on their peripheries. They have exploited the world's natural resources, including those of developing countries. And now we see the alarming fact of global warming.
The United States and other responsible "stakeholders" should take it upon themselves to help improve the comprehensive sustainable development of those poor or less developed countries. This commitment should be not only to help them in green industrialization, but also in adopting methods of governing and supervising a healthier development.
The economies of many poor developing countries depend on agriculture. If left to follow the same road of industrialization taken by the developed countries, natural resources including water and forests will be depleted and ecological cycles will be disrupted.
Also, some countries are disturbed by internal wars and ethnic conflicts; such regimes may not be capable or efficient in implementing practical plans to save the environment. Without outside help, their people may continue to suffer from economic backwardness and political chaos, thereby hurting their development and possibly generating international crises.
Hence, in this time of globalization, all countries should adopt a global attitude and put global development at least on a par with their own development. The world is already interdependent. Both economically and environmentally, comprehensive sustainable development must involve all human beings.
If the United States wishes to remain a world leader it needs to take responsibility for more than its own economic advantage.
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Zhang Quanyi is an associate professor at the Zhejiang Wanli University in Ningbo, China, and a Ph.D. candidate at Shanghai International Studies University, studying policy making and collective identity. His research interests focus on conflict management and identity construction. He can be contacted at qyzhangupi@gmail.com. ©Copyright Zhang Quanyi.)
