Climate change talks in China

China, the world’s biggest carbon emitter, opened a United Nations conference on climate change today, aimed at narrowing differences…

China, the world’s biggest carbon emitter, opened a United Nations conference on climate change today, aimed at narrowing differences before a major end-of-year meeting in Mexico.

Optimism for a binding new treaty on curbing greenhouse gases evaporated after last year’s failed climate summit and negotiators meeting this week for the last round of talks ahead of Cancun were setting their sights on less-ambitious goals.

In her opening speech today, UN climate chief Christiana Figueres was blunt about what needed to happen to revive a process bogged down by national interests.

“If you want a tangible outcome in December, now is the time to clarify what could constitute an achievable and politically balanced package for Cancun, and what could be subject to further work after Cancun,” she told the 3,000 delegates gathered in the northern port city of Tianjin.

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“As governments, you can continue to stand still or move forward. Now is the time to make that choice.”

Last year’s UN climate summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, disappointed many environmentalists and political leaders when it failed to produce a global and legally-binding treaty on curbing the greenhouse gases that cause global warming. Instead, nations agreed to a non-binding political declaration on fighting climate change.

In the months since then, expectations have been downsized as it has become obvious that countries remain deadlocked on the same issues.

Distrust has only deepened between developed and developing countries over how to cut the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing the earth to overheat.

China and the US are the world’s leading carbon emitters, accounting for 40 per cent of the world’s total emission of greenhouse gases, which have been blamed for global warming.

PA