Copenhagen climate talks
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Tarequl Islam Munna
The United States has called for a compromise at the next month's global climate talks in Copenhagen and vowed to support a fund to help developing countries cope with emissions cuts.
"We cannot let the pursuit of perfection get in the way of progress," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a news conference in Singapore on the eve of the APEC summit earlier in the month.
Clinton said she had "fruitful discussions" on climate issues with counterparts from the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, which includes China, Russia and Japan.
The December 7-18 Copenhagen talks are aimed at achieving a global deal to slash greenhouse gas emissions and ease the impact of climate change before the 2012 expiry of the Kyoto Protocol. The United States has not ratified the protocol.
President Barack Obama has brought the United States back into the climate discussions, while his predecessor George W. Bush refused to sign the Kyoto pact.
"If we all exert maximum effort and embrace the right blend of pragmatism and principle, I believe we can secure a strong outcome at Copenhagen," Clinton told the news conference.
Beyond Copenhagen, "We are committed to reaching the goal of a global, legally binding climate agreement, and will continue working vigorously with the international community towards that end."
Earlier, in prepared remarks to a closed-door gathering of APEC foreign ministers, Clinton said the group's members account for 60 per cent of global emissions and their efforts to cut them can have a "transformative impact".
She called for a trade-off between raising global living standards and strong action on climate change, and acknowledged the United States' "historical responsibility" for climate change, according to the official text.
Clinton reiterated US support for a fund aimed at helping developing countries reduce emissions, but gave no details.
"We are prepared to support a Global Climate Fund that will support adaptation and mitigation efforts and a matching entity to help developing countries match needs with available resources," she said.
European Union leaders agreed last month that developing nations will need 100 billion euros (150 billion dollars) by 2020 to tackle climate change but failed to nail down the group's share.
Finance ministers from the G20, which includes the United States and EU, were also unable to make headway on how to finance the climate fund when they met in Scotland.
There has been a long-running dispute between the industrialised and developing countries over their role in the fight to slash global emissions.
Countries like China and India blame western nations for producing most of the emissions in their drive to industrialisation and feel that drastic emission caps would hamper their own development.
The writer, a columnist and conservator, wildlife and environment, is associated with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). He can abe reached at
e-mail: munna_tareq@yahoo.com
The United States has called for a compromise at the next month's global climate talks in Copenhagen and vowed to support a fund to help developing countries cope with emissions cuts.
"We cannot let the pursuit of perfection get in the way of progress," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a news conference in Singapore on the eve of the APEC summit earlier in the month.
Clinton said she had "fruitful discussions" on climate issues with counterparts from the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, which includes China, Russia and Japan.
The December 7-18 Copenhagen talks are aimed at achieving a global deal to slash greenhouse gas emissions and ease the impact of climate change before the 2012 expiry of the Kyoto Protocol. The United States has not ratified the protocol.
President Barack Obama has brought the United States back into the climate discussions, while his predecessor George W. Bush refused to sign the Kyoto pact.
"If we all exert maximum effort and embrace the right blend of pragmatism and principle, I believe we can secure a strong outcome at Copenhagen," Clinton told the news conference.
Beyond Copenhagen, "We are committed to reaching the goal of a global, legally binding climate agreement, and will continue working vigorously with the international community towards that end."
Earlier, in prepared remarks to a closed-door gathering of APEC foreign ministers, Clinton said the group's members account for 60 per cent of global emissions and their efforts to cut them can have a "transformative impact".
She called for a trade-off between raising global living standards and strong action on climate change, and acknowledged the United States' "historical responsibility" for climate change, according to the official text.
Clinton reiterated US support for a fund aimed at helping developing countries reduce emissions, but gave no details.
"We are prepared to support a Global Climate Fund that will support adaptation and mitigation efforts and a matching entity to help developing countries match needs with available resources," she said.
European Union leaders agreed last month that developing nations will need 100 billion euros (150 billion dollars) by 2020 to tackle climate change but failed to nail down the group's share.
Finance ministers from the G20, which includes the United States and EU, were also unable to make headway on how to finance the climate fund when they met in Scotland.
There has been a long-running dispute between the industrialised and developing countries over their role in the fight to slash global emissions.
Countries like China and India blame western nations for producing most of the emissions in their drive to industrialisation and feel that drastic emission caps would hamper their own development.
The writer, a columnist and conservator, wildlife and environment, is associated with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). He can abe reached at
e-mail: munna_tareq@yahoo.com