New Storylines Emerging From Climate Negotiations

The document argues that the United States has lost its leverage in international climate negotiations due to its failure to enact domestic climate legislation and its opposition to the Kyoto Protocol. It highlights a growing divide between the U.S. and developing nations, particularly China, noting that China is investing more aggressively in clean energy despite U.S. pressure for mitigation commitments. The briefing also discusses a trade petition by the United Steelworkers against China's clean energy subsidies, suggesting this could trigger trade conflicts that undermine UNFCCC goals. It concludes by suggesting the U.S. should utilize the Bali Action Plan's carve-out to allow other developed nations to proceed with the Kyoto Protocol's second commitment period.

• The United States is the only wealthy nation that has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol, and its promotion of the nonbinding 'Copenhagen Accord' is viewed as an attempt to replace the Protocol's legally binding targets with a weaker 'bottom-up' approach.
• The absence of U.S. domestic climate legislation has diminished the Obama administration's credibility and bargaining power, potentially leading other countries to pursue mitigation efforts without U.S. involvement and increasing the leverage of poor countries.
• Despite U.S. pressure on China to adopt greenhouse gas reduction commitments, the U.S. remains a larger per capita polluter (19.2 metric tons vs 4.9 in 2008) and China has invested more heavily in green stimulus (34 percent of its 2009 stimulus compared to 12 percent in the U.S.).
• A petition filed by the United Steelworkers alleging that China provided illegal subsidies to its clean energy industry may lead to trade wars that conflict with the UNFCCC's requirement for wealthy nations to help developing countries build clean energy industries.

APA

Orenstein, K. (2010). New Storylines Emerging From Climate Negotiations. Friends of the Earth. https://foe.org/news/2010-09-new-storylines-emerging-from-climate-negotiations/

Chicago

Orenstein, Karen. New Storylines Emerging From Climate Negotiations. Friends of the Earth, 2010. https://foe.org/news/2010-09-new-storylines-emerging-from-climate-negotiations/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Orenstein |first1=Karen |title=New Storylines Emerging From Climate Negotiations |publisher=Friends of the Earth |date=22 September 2010 |url=https://foe.org/news/2010-09-new-storylines-emerging-from-climate-negotiations/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{orenstein2010new, author = {Orenstein, Karen}, title = {{New Storylines Emerging From Climate Negotiations}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth}, year = {2010}, month = sep, url = {https://foe.org/news/2010-09-new-storylines-emerging-from-climate-negotiations/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }