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Consensus eludes on climate talks

By Li Jing (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-07-20 10:45

US President Barack Obama (right) waves as he leaves his final press conference at the G8 summit in L'Aquila, Italy, on July 10. Leaders of developing countries such as China are taking a more active role in confronting environmental and economic challenges. [Bloomberg News]

Leaders of the world's eight richest countries agreed during the G8 meeting in Italy this month to work together to reduce global warming by 2050 to a level 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

A statement issued by the industrialized countries includes a pledge to reduce carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050.

But that pledge was labeled "insufficient" by Ajay Chhibber, a United Nations assistant secretary-general and director of the Asia-Pacific bureau of the United Nations Development Program.

"The goal is good. But it didn't make clear how to get there in the more immediate future," Chhibber said. "We need more specific targets that lead up to that long-term goal," he said.

At the parallel 17-member Major Economies Forum (MEF), which groups the G8 with developing nations such as China, India and Brazil, members also agreed to embrace the 2-degree goal.

However, developing countries did not sign up for a 2050 deadline, arguing that the richer, industrialized countries must first cut their own national emissions by 2020.

Related readings:  US eyes greater Sino-US co-op against climate change  China-US climate teamwork evolving  Chu: US to lead climate change effort  UNDP: Climate goal from G8 is 'insufficient'

Qin Gang, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said China must focus on developing its economy, alleviating poverty and raising living standards.

"Given that, it is natural for China to have some increase in emissions, so it is not possible for China to accept a binding or compulsory target," Qin told a news conference in Beijing.

Yvo de Boer, the top UN climate official who oversees climate change talks among 192 nations, said he understands the reluctance of developing nations to sign on to the G8 goal to more than halve the world's carbon emissions by 2050.

Asking that developing nations sign on to the 2050 goals before knowing what funding was available and what steps G8 nations would take before 2020 was, de Boer told Reuters, "like jumping out of a plane and being assured that you are going to get a parachute on the way down".

At the meeting in Italy, Tony Blair, Great Britain's former prime minister, called for immediate action on obtaining energy efficiencies with existing technologies. Blair also called for more G8 investments to develop future solutions.

According to Blair's "Technology for a Low Carbon Future" report, 70 percent of greenhouse gas reductions called for by 2020 can be achieved by investing in energy efficiencies in lighting, vehicles, buildings and other sources.

A panel of UN scientists has said that developed countries must work together to cut carbon emissions by 25 percent to 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2020.

This reduction is necessary to prevent average global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels, the scientists said.

Any rise beyond that level would increase the risks of catastrophic climate changes affecting millions of predominantly poor people, the scientists said.

However, with only five months left before the Copenhagen meeting on climate change, rich and poor countries still differ on emission reduction goals and other issues. The meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December will ask more than 190 countries to reach final agreement on how to stop global warming.

According to the report Blair published on the eve of the G8 Summit, the world needs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 19 gigatons (Gt) by 2020 and 48 Gt by 2050.