France, joined by several countries, has « expressed its deep concern » about the « gradual disappearance of references to climate change » in the work on the Antarctic Treaty. A worrying development as the United States is turning away from it in some international bodies.
The scene was played in May, during a conference organized in the Hiroshima region of Japan. The 29 member countries, engaged in research on the white continent, participated in parallel with a meeting of the Committee for the Protection of the Environment. Exchanges behind closed doors, the report of which has just been published.
Paris warns of a « dangerous precedent »
In this official document, the French position is clearly formulated. « France stressed that climate change was a reality affecting all countries, regardless of their borders. » Paris goes further. « Even refusing to name climate change was a dangerous precedent, » warns the report. France considers that this is « a worrying development for the credibility of a committee whose work was based on scientific facts and that it sent a negative message for its future ». A statement supported by most countries.
The document does not mention any country by name. But he specifies that the United States preferred to insist on « taking into account the impacts of specific changes on the environment of Antarctica », rather than on climate change. A line assumed in the discussions on emperor penguins. Washington wants « the recommendations to explicitly refer to the reduction of sea ice rather than climate change more generally ». A semantic shift far from trivial.
A subject avoided until the G7
This repositioning is part of a broader trend. Donald Trump’s United States no longer participates directly in climate COPs or IPCC work. During the G7 under the French presidency, the negotiators even avoided putting the climate on the agenda so as not to risk offending the American president. Despite everything, the United States remains involved in the Antarctic Treaty.
source : 20 minutes
