VZCZCXRO4082
RR RUEHIK
DE RUEHFR #1545 3241311
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 201311Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7569
INFO RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 2343

UNCLAS PARIS 001545 
 
SIPDIS 
NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV ENRG KGHG FR
SUBJECT: More on France - Brazil Climate Pact 
 
REF A) Paris 1520    B) Brasilia 1322 
 
¶1. (SBU) Gwenaelle Huet, Chief of staff to Brice Lalonde, French 
Ambassador for climate change negotiations, commented to ESTH 
Counselor November 19 on the "Common Position" announced by 
Presidents Sarkozy and Lula da Silva last week.  She said that that 
Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo thinks the accord is not a 
sufficient  basis for negotiation at Copenhagen, but  is useful as a 
bridge between Annex I countries and the non-Annex I developing 
countries.  Particular sticking points in the negotiations were 
Brazil's lack of support for the Mexican "green fund" financing 
proposal, and Brazil's opposition to setting a date for peaking of 
non-annex I country emissions (given possible greenhouse gas (GHG) 
fluctuations related to deforestation).  The French also had to be 
creative over REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation in 
Developing Countries) because the Brazilians did not want a 
reference to the carbon market as a source of financing. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The Brazilians agreed to support the proposal to establish 
a World Environmental Organization (WEO), though Huet  explained 
that the WEO concept is still under development, and that France is 
open to suggestions on its possible governance and membership.  One 
thought is that the WEO, as a neutral body, could grant flexibility 
to countries in implementation of commitments on greenhouse gas 
emission reductions, much as the IMF or European Bank allow 
countries to run larger budget deficits during recessions. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Huet noted that another possible WEO role might be in 
handling Assigned Amount Units (AAUs) rolling over from the Kyoto 
Protocol, an issue for the EU's eastern European member states and 
especially for Russia, which has a large number of AAUs resulting 
from the collapse of the Soviet economy.  France's position is that 
if Russia wants to retain its AAUs, then it must commit to greater 
emission reductions.  According to Huet, Minister Borloo believes 
that a fair middle ground must be found between Russia's desire to 
retain the AAUs and France's insistence that the AAUs cannot be used 
to subvert the goals of reducing GHG and hopes to travel to Moscow 
next week to discuss these and other issues with the Russians. 
 
RIVKIN