INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL INTELLIGENCE BRIEF

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005284792
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 15
• Document Creation Date: June 24, 2015
• Document Release Date: May 27, 2011
• Case Number: F-2008-00831
• Publication Date: November 30, 1998

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International Environmental Intelligence Brief
DC1 Environmental Center
Contents
Climate Chance: Postmortem on Buenos Aires
Page
Greek and Turkish Cypriots Pursue Stopgap Solutions to Water
In Brief: Japan-Russia Accord
Calendar
APPROVED FOR RELEASEL
DATE: 17-May-2011
 Climate Change: Postmortem on Buenos
Aires
Parties agreed this month to a Buenos Aires
Action Plan to develop the flexibility
mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol-mainly
emissions trading and the Clean Development
Mechanism-with a deadline to complete the
work by the Sixth Conference of Parties in
October 2000. The negotiations were almost as
demanding as the Kyoto talks a year ago
because Brazil, China, India, Philippines, Saudi
Arabia, and Tanzania pressed to add resource
transfer issues to the Action Plan that were
unrelated to the mechanisms, according to press
reports.
- The Action Plan is loaded with
extraneous material, but some of it will
fall away over the next two years
because workshops and technical
papers on the mechanism will ignore
the other items
In contrast to Kyoto, the negotiating process was
handicapped by an absence of strong leadership.
Collapse of the G-77
The most noteworthy feature of the talks was the
dissension within the G-77 developing countries
that hardliners China, India, and Saudi Arabia
have dominated. Argentina's declaration of an
emissions growth target created momentum for
other developing countries to follow suit.
-- Kazakhstan declared its intention to
join the group of developed countries
and undertake an emissions reduction
target from 1990 levels.
- Several members of the Alliance of
Small Island States will commit to an
emissions growth target based on a
switch to wind and solar energy that
fits their unique circumstances,
While not declaring emissions targets, the
African Group publicly broke with the G-77 to
accelerate CDM implementation. Honduras
proposed an interim CDM as a vehicle to help
rebuild Honduras in the wake of Hurricane
Mitch
EU Disarray
financing
While the Environment Ministers of Austria,
Denmark, Germany, and the UK sat silent as
developing countries pressed their case for more
money to address climate change, French
Environment Minister Voynet tried to forge an
alliance with the G-77 with hints of additional
were the most substantive of any at Buenos
Meanwhile, the Umbrella Group of non-EU
developed countries maintained solidarity,
which will be a key factor in completing the
Action Plan on time. Australia, Canada, Iceland,
Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Ukraine,
and the US produced joint position papers that
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et
 Southeast Asia Braces for La Nina
Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines to cope
with heavy rains and floods in anticipation of a
moderate to strong La Nina. Manila has
established a task force to ensure food security
and the stability of commodity prices and has
earmarked $15.6 million to help 500,000
families expected to be affected according to
press reports; it also plans to increase imports to
cope with possible rice shortages from crop
losses.
Malaysia has cleared
drainage systems, pruned trees to
reduce storm debris, strengthened
emergency preparedness, established
shelters, urged developers to control
erosion, and increased public
awareness of La Nina and its
consequences.
Indonesian meteorologists warn that heavy rains
on ground charred this year and last year forest
fires could produce flash floods and severe soil
erosion and deplete fish stocks as toxic ash
seeps into rivers, lakes, and coral reefs,
according to press reports. Floods could destroy
1.6 million hectares of agricultural land-
including 803,000 hectares of rice paddles and
302,000 hectares of plantations.
Having imported a record 6 million
tons of rice this year, Jakarta has
enough to meet domestic needs
through the main rice harvest next
March.
- A strong La Nina, however, could
reduce the rice harvest next year by as
much as 10 percent and trigger new
price hikes and civil unrest
Despite these measures and public assurances by
officials, a strong La Nina would exacerbate
economic and societal difficulties in the region.
In the Philippines-which expects at least five
more typhoons in the next few months-some
government officials say
recession will follow if-La Nina prevents the
weakened agricultural sector from recovering.
Malaysia says the
Department of Irrigation and Drainage
has warned of flooding in at least 5
percent-or 220 square miles, of the
Kiang Valley, which includes Kuala
Lumpur.
 Sec
Greek and Turkish Cypriots Pursue
Stopgap Solutions to Water Crisis
Greece this month offered to sell Greek Cypriots
15 million cubic meter of water per year-
roughly 6 percent of annual demand-
consumption-in response to a three-year
drought. The Greek Cypriots plan to set up two
mobile desalination units by next June,
according to press reports.
- The Cypriot Agriculture Minister in
September publicly said that Greek-
Cypriot reservoirs were almost 95
percent empty and that they would run
dry by yearend withoE-t adequate
winter rainfall or outside assistance.
The island draws 80 percent of its water from
aquifers, but overpumping in response to the
drying up of reservoirs has led to growing
salinization of this source. The government is
drilling new boreholes in search of untapped
groundwater, according to press reports
- These efforts are aimed at managing
the water problem until a second large-
scale desalination facility is ready in
2001.
- US experts, however, have dismissed
desalination as a long-term solution
because it is expensive and highly
polluting
The Greek Cypriot government so far has
shown reluctance to raisin water-use rates
or C riot farmers,
Turkey this summer began delivering drinking
water to northern Cyprus in massive seaborne
balloons in an effort to boost supplies until a
pipeline is constructed from the mainland. The
balloon project was scheduled to deliver 3
million cubic meters of water to the Turkish
Cypriots in its first year, but a series of technical
difficulties has limited its effectiveness,
according to press reports.
A Turkish firm is conducting a feasibility study
for a 78 km underwater pipeline that would
pump 75 million cubic meters of water per year
to northern Cyprus
Cooperative Efforts Face Uphill Battle
Turkish Cypriots are dragging their feet on a
Greek Cypriot proposal to build a dam on a river
in the south that would feed into the Morphou
aquifer-the largest source of groundwater for
both communities. Turkish-Cypriot leader
Denktash has offered to share water from the
balloon project with the Greek Cypriots, but the
Turkish pipeline feasibility study has looked at
ways to prevent water provided by Turkey from
trickling to the Greek-Cypriot side, according to
press reports.
 Se
 In Brief
Japan-Russia accord Japan and Russia have signed an agreement expanding their
environmental cooperation that includes a promise by Tokyo to help
finance Russia's required CFC phaseout under the Montreal Protocol.
Tokyo might be prepared to
contribute as much as $2 million. Other provisions include plans to
monitor forest absorption with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas
emissions. Tokyo will view the accord as a means to stake out an early
claim to the potentially lucrative Russian market for emissions
reduction ventures
13
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 Selected International Environment-Related Meetings
30 November-3 December Third Defense Ministerial of the Americas Cartagena
30 November-I 1 December Second Conference of Parties to the UN Dakar
Convention on Desertification
1-4 December Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety Yokohama
Third Intersessional Group Meeting
UNIDO-Sponsored Workshop on
Efficient Energy Technologies in
CEE and CIS Countries
Ministerial Meeting on Prior Informed Madrid
Consent
25-29 January 1999 Second Meeting of the Intergovernmental Nairobi
Negotiating Committee for Persistent
Organic Pollutants
Sixth Session of the Open-Ended Ad Hoc Cartagena
Working Group on a Biosafety Protocol
UN Commission on Sustainable Development New York
Ad-Hoc Working Group on Oceans