EU says - commit to new climate deal

2011-11-25 07:45

Vienna - The European Union's top climate diplomat, Connie Hedegaard, urged emerging economies on Thursday to commit to a second Kyoto period at global climate talks kicking off next week in Durban, South Africa.

The EU climate commissioner said a key issue at the talks would be the follow-up to the Kyoto Protocol's "first commitment period", the 2008-2012 period set for developed countries - except the US which shunned Kyoto - to meet emission targets.

"We are not only delivering on these targets, we are over-achieving," Hedegaard said of the 27-nation bloc at a news conference.

With EU nations responsible for only 11% of global emissions, "our share is going down, others are going up."

"So the key question is then what about the remaining 80%. When will they follow? How will they follow?"

"It is key that others now start to tell us if not now, when they are ready to commit," she added.

Hedegaard reiterated she would propose a new "roadmap" leading to a global deal by 2015 and implementation by 2020 at the November 28 to December 9 talks, held under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Saying the initial Kyoto accords were out of tune with the global economy, Hedegaard said:

"What is different is that in the world of the 21st century, you cannot have developing countries that are obliged to do something but whose emissions are falling while emerging countries are not obliged but are doing it voluntarily."

Excludes China and US

Kyoto currently only covers some three dozen rich nations. China, the world's top carbon emitter overall - but not per capita - was excluded as a developing nation, and the United States, the number two polluter, opted out.

Canada, Japan and Russia have refused to continue Kyoto and say that any future accord must encompass all major economies including China, which in turn wants binding action from wealthy nations.

Hedegaard underlined however that since the Copenhagen round of the talks, some 90 nations had set domestic targets to reduce carbon emissions, including China and the United States.

Making an impassioned plea for decisions in Durban "very clearly stating when countries will move up their targets", Hedegaard said it was vital to have China, Brazil, India and South Africa, along with the United States, on board with a roadmap.

"We must try to do as much as we can to push others forward," she said. "The pace at which the others are moving is much too slow."

"This is the only process the world has," she added.

- SAPA