Today was the first day of the Bangkok climate change talks. This is the first UN negotiation since the Bali conference in December. In Bali, the world decided that a final agreement on the second phase of the Kyoto Protocol would have to be concluded by December 2009 at a conference in Copenhagen. Bangkok will be the start of the tough 2-year road to that final agreement.

Photo: Stuck in Customs via Flickr

The first day of these negotiating sessions is always pretty light on substance, especially the opening ceremony. Typically, high-ranking officials—this one featured the deputy minister of Thailand—give speeches filled with platitudes on the importance of tackling global warming. The opening plenaries are somewhat more interesting, though they usually involve countries reiterating the positions they have already made public through submissions to the UN. Today was no different. 

The most interesting part of the Bangkok meeting will no doubt be the kick off of the negotiations on what developing countries will take on as obligations in Kyoto II. There has been increased attention—even finger pointing from countries such as the U.S. and Canada—paid to China, India and other "major emitters" in the developing world on what they will do to contribute to the global fight on climate change. Yes, rapidly industrializing countries will have to accept greater responsibility, but expecting the same obligations right now from poor countries like India and rich countries like the U.S., as suggested by the U.S. and supported by Canada's environment minister, is simply not fair or feasible. 

And then there are the continued talks on what emission targets rich countries will accept. Canada has to decide whether it wants to really and truly get back into the Kyoto game or would prefer to tie itself to a lame duck U.S. president. Bali did not resolve that question.

The sense of urgency on global warming is reflected in the fact that there are four UN meetings this year instead of the usual two. Let's hope that this week produces more than just a work plan and schedule for 2008. Two years is not a lot of time to hammer out a very complex and pretty contentious agreement.