MEXICO WELCOMES AUSTRALIA'S DECISION TO SET NEW EMISSION REDUCTION TARGETS UNDER THE KYOTO PROTOCOL

• Mexico expects that this important decision will facilitate the work of the COP-18/CMP-8, which will be held in Doha, Qatar.

Mexico welcomes the Australian government’s exemplary decision to take part in the Kyoto Protocol’s second commitment period by setting a new emission reduction goal, and hopes that this will facilitate the work of the Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol (COP-18/CMP-8) and will contribute to the adoption of a balanced package of climate change decisions that strengthen the ongoing collective effort in this field.

The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997 and is the only international convention that establishes binding obligations for the developed countries party to the agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The first commitment period ends on December 31 of this year and the second period starts January 1, 2013.

During the COP-18, the Protocol should be amended to include this second commitment period. Mexico believes that adoption of the amendment is necessary to facilitate the ongoing negotiation process, which should create a new binding instrument applicable to all countries by 2015, that stabilizes the Earth’s temperature as soon as possible. Mexico encourages other developed countries to follow Australia’s example.

The COP-18/CMP-8 will be held from November 26 to December 7, 2012 in Doha, Qatar.