France and Brazil joined forces today to press the United States and China to make significant concessions at next month's climate change summit in Copenhagen.
In a joint document, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil urged rich industrialised countries to cut emissions of greenhouse gases by at least 80 per cent from their 1990 levels by 2050.
They called on emerging countries to seek low carbon growth, with help from richer countries, and to take steps to slow the rate at which their greenhouse gas emissions rise by 2050.
Just before the meeting in Paris, Brazil pledged to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by between 36.1 per cent and 38.9 per cent, largely by controlling deforestation in the Amazon region, a decision hailed by Mr Sarkozy.
"This is the first emerging country to take a decision of this nature," he said at a joint news conference.
Mr Lula told reporters the document signed with Mr Sarkozy was "more than a declaration of intent, it is a climate bible" and the two leaders said the United States and China had to show more boldness in accepting commitments at Copenhagen.
President Barack Obama and Chinese leader Hu Jintao, whose two countries are the world's biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, are due to meet next week to seek common ground on climate change.
But as the deadline for the December 7th-18th climate change meeting in Copenhagen approaches, both Mr Sarkozy and Mr Lula said they could not be allowed to settle matters between themselves.
"We cannot allow President Obama and President Hu Jintao to celebrate an accord which only takes the economic realities of their two countries into account," Mr Lula said.
He said he would telephone Obama on Monday to discuss the joint Franco-Brazilian initiative as part of a diplomatic offensive in which he and Mr Sarkozy will try to drum up support before the Copenhagen summit.
Some 190 nations will meet in Copenhagen, but talks so far have been clouded by disputes between rich and developing nations and hopes have faded for a legally binding framework to stave off dangerouslevels of global warming that scientists say could bring rising seas, more droughts, heatwaves and floods.
Mr Sarkozy said he would not accept a "minimal" accord at Copenhagen and would insist on firm commitments from the world's biggest carbon emitters.
"You know the friendship that France has for the United States of America and the confidence I have in President Obama, but the world's biggest economy has to face up to its responsibilities," he said.
Mr Sarkozy, who will discuss the initiative with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday, said he hoped to travel to Brazil and Africa and would attend the Commonwealth summit in Trinidad and Tobago at the end of the month.
Reuters