INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Verification of Developing Countries' Actions A

Published: Thu 3 Dec 2009 08:35 AM
VZCZCXRO6156
OO RUEHFK RUEHKSO RUEHNH
DE RUEHKO #2767 3370835
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 030835Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7941
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 2127
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA PRIORITY 7722
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG PRIORITY 6887
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA PRIORITY 0073
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE PRIORITY 1533
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO PRIORITY 8230
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI PRIORITY 7538
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 3614
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 8249
RUEAEPA/HQ EPA WASHDC PRIORITY
RULSDMK/DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMCSUU/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
UNCLAS TOKYO 002767
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR S/SECC - TODD STERN, JONATHAN PERSHING, PETER
OGDEN
EAP/J - VIRGINIA MURRAY AND HEATHER DRESSER
IO, G
OES/EGC - TRIGG TALLEY, KATE LARSEN, EDWARD FENDLEY, CHRISTO
ARTUSIO, AND AMANDA VOCKERODT
E - PAUL BROWN
PASS TO USAID
USDOC FOR NOAA CLIMATE CHANGE OFFICE - SID THURSTON
WHITE HOUSE FOR CEQ - NANCY SUTLEY
USDOE FOR S-3 - ROBERT MARLAY
PASS TO USTR FOR BEEMAN
EPA FOR CHRISTOPHER GRUNDLER
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV ENRG PREL KGHG JA
SUBJECT: VERIFICATION OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES' ACTIONS A
RED-LINE ISSUE FOR JAPAN IN COPENHAGEN
REF: A. TOKYO 2512
B. TOKYO 2067
1. (SBU) A proposal by developing countries to exempt
domestically-funded climate actions from measurement,
reporting, and verification (MRV) will be a red-line issue
for Japan at upcoming UNFCCC climate negotiations in
Copenhagen December 7-18, according to Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry (METI) DDG for Global Environmental
Affairs Jun Arima. Arima, a member of the Japanese
delegation to Copenhagen, told EMIN on December 3 that Japan
shares the U.S. belief that it is imperative to measure
mitigation actions by all major emitters in order to
effectively limit global greenhouse gas (GHG) levels. He
stressed the need for any new agreement to include binding
commitments from all major emitters, noting that the Kyoto
Agreement covered only 30% of global emissions. He said
extending Kyoto is a non-starter for Japan.
2. (SBU) On financial assistance to developing countries,
Arima underscored Japan's alignment with the U.S., while
noting the difficulty the U.S. would have in proposing
specific monetary pledges at Copenhagen. He predicted the
best realistic outcome from Copenhagen would be an agreement
on the modalities and governance of assistance programs,
rather than specific dollar commitments from each country. A
climate advisory panel of GOJ ministers and state
secretaries, led by Deputy Prime Minister Naoto Kan, is
working on details of the Hatoyama Initiative to provide
climate mitigation and adaptation assistance to developing
countries (Ref A) and is expected to present these at
Copenhagen.
3. (SBU) A separate working group in the PM's climate
advisory panel is preparing cost estimates for various
scenarios to reach Japan's 25% emission reduction target
(from 1990 levels) by 2020. Arima admitted Japan will almost
certainly need to purchase some carbon credits from overseas
to meet its ambitious target but stressed the need to balance
the cost of domestic actions against the outflow of wealth
that would result from purchasing emissions reductions in
other countries.
ROOS
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