EU & US in war-of-words over climate treaty
Thursday, 13 December 2007 18:12
The European Union and the US have accused each other of blocking a deal to launch negotiations on a new global warming treaty as the clock runs down on UN climate talks in Bali.
The UN warned the 190-nation meeting that continuing deadlock meant there was a risk that the talks would collapse and take the momentum out of international efforts to slow warming.
The Bali talks are split over the guidelines for starting two years of formal talks on a deal to succeed the Kyoto Protocol.
Humberto Rosa, the EU's chief negotiator in Bali, said he was disappointed that all the world is still waiting for the US.
The US, Japan, Canada and Australia oppose EU-led efforts to include a non-binding goal for rich nations to cut emissions of greenhouse gases by 25 to 40% below 1990 levels by 2020 as a guiding principle for future talks.
The US reaffirmed it would join a new treaty, meant to be agreed in Copenhagen in late 2009 with participation of developing nations led by China and India, but that it was wrong to set any targets prejudging the outcome.
The UN says a Kyoto successor has to be in place by 2009 to give governments time to ratify the new deal by the end of 2012 and to give markets clear guidelines on how to make investments in clean energy technology.
The Bali talks are due to conclude tomorrow.
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