China, along with the member nations of the BASIC bloc (Brazil, South Africa, and India) will consider ways to negotiate the survival of the Kyoto Protocol with developed countries, Reuters reported, citing a meeting agenda of an upcoming meeting of the respective countries’ environment ministers in South Africa next week. The BASIC bloc, which comprises the world’s fastest growing carbon emitters, must confront a lack of trust between rich and poor nations. Developing countries fear that the collapse of Kyoto would turn off the taps on a lucrative trade in carbon emissions credits while some in the developed nations point the finger at China and India, who refuse to adopt their own verifiable binding caps. The tone of the agenda indicates a willingness in the BASIC bloc to compromise in order to get the US to sign on to an extension of the Kyoto Protocol, but negotiators do not expect significant progress to be made in the next round of negotiations in Mexico later this year.
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