The chances of emissions targets being agreed at the UN’s climate change conference in Bali were receding fast yesterday, with senior officials expressing concern that the talks were on the brink of collapse.
The EU is reportedly at loggerheads with the US, Japan, Canada and Australia over the roadmap agreement for the next two years of talks to agree a successor to the Kyoto protocol.
European governments remain insistent that the agreement should include a non-binding commitment for developed nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions by between 25 and 40 per cent by 2020 as the guiding principle for future talks. ...
However, the US delegation appears unwilling to change its position and has reportedly secured support from Japan, Canada and Australia. “Those who are suggesting that you can magically find agreement on a metric when you are just starting negotiations, that in itself is a blocking element,” James Connaughton, chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, told news agency Reuters. “We will lead, we will continue to lead. But leadership also requires others to fall in line and follow.”
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