Friday 27 November 2009


FALTERING CLIMATE DEAL PRODDED BY U.S., CHINA PLEDGES

Alex Morales

Bloomberg, November 27, 2009

Pledges by China and the U.S. to set numerical targets for their greenhouse-gas emissions through 2020 may reignite stalled progress for a global climate agreement at negotiations next month in Copenhagen.

China’s cabinet yesterday said it will cut output of carbon dioxide per unit of gross domestic product by 40 percent to 45 percent from 2005. A day earlier, the U.S. said it will propose a direct CO2 reduction in the same period of about 17 percent, provided that dovetails with a new domestic climate law.

“The skies are clearing now,” Anders Turesson, Sweden’s chief climate negotiator, speaking on behalf of the 27-nation European Union, said in an interview. “We see more clearly now what the negotiations in Copenhagen are going to be about.”

The announcements mean the biggest emitters of industrial pollutants blamed for climate change have finally spelled out their intentions to limit discharges, driving forward the United Nations-led talks in the Danish capital that run Dec. 7-18.
Developing nations halted the last round of talks for a day in Barcelona to protest targets promised by richer nations.

Some groups lobbying for a climate deal said the U.S. and Chinese goals were too small to represent a breakthough.

(...) [artículo aquí]

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