Top polluters divided on climate change goals

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MAKUHARI, Mar 16 (AFP): The world's top 20 greenhouse gas emitters agreed Sunday to work together to draft a successor to the Kyoto Protocol but rich and developing nations remained divided on their roles.
Envoys from the 20 countries, which are together responsible for 80 percent of the world's emissions blamed for global warming, were trying to bridge gaps on what to do after Kyoto's obligations expire at the end of 2012.
"We reconfirmed the principle of common but differentiated responsibility in negotiating the next deal for 2013 and onward," said Japan's Environment Minister Ichiro Kamoshita, the co-chair of the weekend talks in suburban Tokyo.
"It was made clear that there are a variety of positions among developed countries, emerging countries and developing countries," Kamoshita said.
A UN climate conference in December in Bali set a deadline of the end of 2009 for a post-Kyoto deal. The next negotiations start at the end of the month in Bangkok.
"The talks here are very useful, because this is the first opportunity after the Bali meeting," said Halldor Thorgeirsson, director of the Bali roadmap for the UN climate body, told the news agency.
But disagreements were out in the open with developing countries insisting that they not be held up to the same targets as wealthy nations in slashing emissions.
The United States has shunned the Kyoto Protocol, saying it is unfair by making no demands of developing nations. But virtually all countries agreed in Bali to take part in negotiating Kyoto's successor.
Japan, which lags behind in meeting its own Kyoto targets, has like the United States been lukewarm on EU-led calls to set further broad binding targets for each nation.
Japan pushed at the conference for a "sectoral" approach -- setting energy efficiency goals for each industry -- but met with scepticism from developing countries.