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US has 'serious concerns' about Bali deal
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Posted by: forwardone
The White House has declared it has "serious concerns" about a historic deal to negotiate a new climate change treaty struck in Bali.
After a sleepless night and a day of high drama in Bali, the United States agreed to a compromise with the European Union to avoid mentioning any target figures for slashing greenhouse gas emissions.
But the country, which reneged on the Kyoto Protocol six years ago, has since issued a statement questioning the role of developing countries involved in the deal.
The White House, while recognising that there were positive conclusions from the conference, said the "United States does have serious concerns about other aspects of the decision as we begin the negotiations.
"The negotiations must proceed on the view that the problem of climate change cannot be adequately addressed through commitments for emissions cuts by developed countries alone," it said.
"We must give sufficient emphasis to the important and appropriate role that the larger emitting developing countries should play in a global effort to address climate change."
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The disagreement that bedevilled the past two weeks between the United States and the EU was resolved in the course of Friday night with a new draft road map which said that "deep cuts" in greenhouse gas emissions will be required after 2012.
The cuts, it said, were required to address the full extent of climate change as "indicated" by this years' four reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
But instead of proposing cuts of 25-40 per cent by 2020, which the IPCC says must be made to prevent two degrees of temperature rise, the "road map" only made reference to three pages of the IPCC's science report which referred to several different scenarios - including allowing global temperatures to rise by more than two degrees.
The White House said coming talks need to differentiate between wealthier emerging countries and those with smaller economies in the commitments made toward reducing emissions.
"In our view, such smaller and less developed countries are entitled to receive more differentiated treatment so as to more truly reflect their special needs and circumstances, the statement said.
"At the same time, the United States believes that any arrangement must also take into account the legitimate right of the major developing economies and indeed all countries to grow their economies, develop on a sustainable basis, and have access to secure energy sources."
However, Yvo de Boer, the UN's most senior climate change official, had earlier suggested that the agreement had "achieved real balance" between industrialised and developing countries, knocking down a "Berlin wall" between them, and creating "carrots" for both sides instead of the "sticks" of the Kyoto treaty.
The EU was pleased with the agreement. "It was exactly what we wanted," said Humberto Rosa, head of the EU delegation.
Developing nations also welcomed the deal. "Here in Bali we reached a consensus, global consensus for all countries," said Hassan Wirajuda, the foreign minister of the host nation Indonesia.
"No single country was excluded, in a very inclusive process...we hope it will provide not only a good basis but also the momentum in the coming years."
Mr Ban had flown back to Bali to implore delegates after the talks appeared to be on the brink of collapse. "All the 188 countries have recognised that this is the defining agenda for all humanity, for all planet Earth."
In extraordinary scenes, developing countries slogged it out with US delegates on the floor of the conference over the last points of disagreement and the US reconsidered its position in front of the eyes of the world – and backed down.
The "road map" agreed in Bali now means a new climate treaty must be negotiated by the end of 2009 to replace Kyoto.
The document, which will come into force in 2012, also sets up a global agreement to stop tropical deforestation, for which many environmental groups and developed countries have campaigned for more than 20 years.
However, Gerd Leipold, the executive director of Greenpeace International, said the Bush administration have "relegated the science to a footnote".
A spokesman for Oxfam said: "Despite the scientific evidence, there is no clear goal for global emissions cuts in the Bali roadmap or even a range of emissions targets for developed countries."
Tony Juniper, the director of Friends of the Earth, added: "This deal is very disappointing. We said we needed a roadmap, but this conference has failed to give us a clear destination."
Prime Minister Gordon Brown meanwhile said he was "delighted" with the deal. "This agreement is a vital step forward for the whole world," he said.
Hilary Benn, the Environment Secretary, told the Sunday Telegraph: "We've got a historic breakthrough here in Bali. The fact it we've achieved something that people would have said a year ago wasn't possible.
"Nobody comes out of this humiliated. Everyone comes out of this with their heads held high because we didn't let the world down." He added: "I think it was the compelling science that enabled us to do it but it was the politics that made it happen. The truth is our changing climate is changing politics."
Telegraph.co.uk
Posted by: forwardone
Americans aren`t about to give up their gas guzzlers all that easy.