US lobbies to remove strict 2020 emissions targets from Bali Roadmap at the UN Climate Change Conference

December 11, 2007

In Bali, the US is attempting to remove strict 2020 emissions targets from the draft text of the Bali roadmap. The draft text calls for rich nations to reduce emissions by 25 to 40 percent by 2020, with the EU supporting a 30 percent target for developed nations. The draft text is designed to impose guidelines on all nations commencing in 2013 but sets higher goals for developed nations.

Negotiations are taking place in Bali as developing an developed nations seek a means to extend the Kyoto Treaty, but the executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change said ‘”I haven’t heard India being very strong in the forefront of discussions (here at Bali). But they signed up with everyone else in support of negotiations for the next two years to address climate change.”The official added that China is being more aggressive in demonstrating its emission reduction achievements and making new proposals to address climate change, while the Indian delegation was being silent. India has previously indicated that its national priority was poverty alleviation, not climate control.

India and China have previously stated that they cannot afford, as developing nations, to take on any emissions reduction goals; developed nations, led by Japan and Canada, have been pressing for India and China to assume a share of the burden.

Among other issues in Bali, Brazilian external relations minister, Celso Luiz Amorin, yesterday ripped into a 43-product list “green list” proposed for tariff liberalization, saying they had unproven climate benefits while ethanol was left off the list despite proven results.

US officials said that the US is a net importer of the proposed goods, but that freer trade conditions would increase usage by 14 percent and benefit the climate, adding that ethanol was excluded because it shows up in agricultural negotiations. The head of the WTO said that freer trade in clean tech goods would help developing nations.

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Written by Jim Lane · Filed Under International, Policy