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Climate talks set to hand major problems to Copenhagen
2009-11-06
BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) - Talks on a new UN climate pact were wrapping up Friday, leaving a roster of bitterly divisive issues to be hammered out at a showdown in Copenhagen next month. Senior officials meeting over five days made scant headway on the problems dogging a negotiation blueprint for the December 7-18 conference, and activists feared the much-trumpeted outcome would be a fudge. More than 190 nations are called to action under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), aiming for a post-2012 accord to slash emissions from fossil fuels that trap solar heat and drive global warming. The putative treaty would also channel hundreds of billions of dollars towards poor countries most exposed to disrupted weather systems. But after nearly two years of haggling, deep rifts remain over apportioning emissions curbs between rich economies and fast-growing developing nations and on the accord's architecture and legal status. Related blog: Homage to catatonia. The poker game has also been slowed by Washington's reluctance to declare its hand while a climate bill inches through Congress. The Barcelona session "was a waste of time. Nothing was achieved whatsoever," Austrian Environment Minister Nikolaus Berlakovich bluntly told the Austria Press Agency. China, the world's Number one carbon polluter, followed European and British officials in acknowledging Copenhagen may not yield a fully-fledged treaty as hoped but a framework that would need to be fleshed out in 2010. China adds to gloom over Copenhagen prospects Green groups accused advanced economies of backsliding but insisted all was not lost. "If the political courage of the industrialised world's leaders like (US President Barack) Obama, (German Chancellor Angela) Merkel and (French President Nicolas) Sarkozy remains missing in action, then the deal won't get done," said Martin Kaiser of Greenpeace. "However, all the pieces are in place. There is enough time. We know what a fair, ambitious and legally binding treaty looks like." African countries had boycotted one of the twin tracks in the talks for a day, accusing rich countries of dragging their feet on curbing greenhouse-gas emissions. They demanded cuts of more than 40 percent from advanced economies by 2020 over 1990 levels. "Between now and Copenhagen we need a real change in heart and minds from industrialised countries. They must demonstrate it by figures," said Sudan's Lumumba Stanislaus Da-Ping, speaking for the G77 bloc of developing countries. EU warns of climate change impact on India UNFCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer urged Washington to break the logjam by revealing in Copenhagen how far it proposed curbing its own emissions, the second highest in the world. US chief negotiator Jonathan Pershing did not rule this out, but said the Obama administration was focused on steering the climate-change legislation through Congress. "The United States has not yet got that deal done at home, and we are very interested in seeing that deal move forward further before we take a decision as to how we would move internationally," he said. US must make climate commitment despite Senate haggle: EU A range of top-level meetings are taking place ahead of the Copenhagen talks. A November 14-15 summit of Asia-Pacific powers in Singapore, including the United States, China and Russia, will call for global emissions to peak "over the next few years," according to a draft statement seen by AFP on Friday. They would be reduced to 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, "recognising that the time frame for peaking will be longer in developing countries," it said. Forty heads of state or government have signalled they will attend Copenhagen, De Boer said. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Brazilian President Lula Inacio da Silva and Sarkozy have indicated they want to help seal a deal there. "I have never before witnessed a moment in time when this issue has been so high on the agenda of world leaders," de Boer said, spelling out his optimism for a good outcome.
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