NOT WITHOUT CHINA: U.S. envoy Todd Stern says curbing greenhouse gas emissions requires all hands on deck.
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COPENHAGEN -- The top U.S. climate negotiator stressed today that the next international global warming agreement must include major commitments from a suite of fast-growing countries; otherwise, greenhouse gas emissions will go up too fast to solve the problem.
"If you care about the science -- and we do -- there's no way to solve this problem by giving the major developing countries a pass," State Department envoy Todd Stern told reporters during the third day of U.N. climate talks here. "We're not talking about the same kind of need for actions from the vast majority of developing countries. But the major ones, it's going to be absolutely essential."
Citing International Energy Agency data, Stern said U.S. emissions are peaking and will trend down over the next two decades, while 97 percent of the growth in greenhouse gases between now and 2030 will come from the developing world, with China contributing about half of that.
"China -- I'm not being critical -- has an extraordinarily successful economy, and it's in a different stage of development than we are," Stern added. "But emissions are emissions. You've just got to do the math. It's not a matter of politics or morality or anything else. It's just math. And you cannot get the kind of reductions you need globally if China is not a major player in this. That's the reality."
Stern's comments come a day after China's senior climate diplomat, Su Wei, insisted to reporters that the United States, the European Union and Japan were not doing enough to tackle global warming.
"The historical responsibility of developing countries is actually low," Su said, pointing to a pledge from President Obama to curb U.S. emissions in the range of 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. Su offered up his own interpretation of the U.S. figures to say that Obama's efforts, when calculated against the 1990 baseline widely used in international talks, amounts to a 1 percent cut.
"I'm not very good at English, but I doubt that just a 1 percent reduction can be regarded as remarkable or notable," Su said. "In other words, the emissions of the United States continue to grow even though the United States has long completed industrialization."
U.S. officials said yesterday that Su had misinterpreted the numbers based off 1990 levels and that emissions would have fallen by about 6 percent from that threshold. Legislation moving through Congress uses a 2005 baseline, a point that Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) has criticized for creating an apples-to-oranges scenario making comparisons easily manipulated on the international stage.
Stern spoke within hours of his arrival in the Denmark. He said he would be working over the next nine days to reach a political agreement on the key contours of a new international agreement that would succeed the Kyoto Protocol.
Within that new accord, Stern said, the United States will insist on accountability and transparency from developing countries as they make their own commitments, a key threshold for senators who ultimately must ratify a new climate treaty.
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9 Comments
Add CommentActually, it is true that the climate is become warmer. But it is completely wrong for China to stop growing fast to be a developed country. It is actually not fair for China to make a commitment like that because the developed countries especially the U.S.A has already contributed to so much emissions in their deveoping period. Now they indeed realize the climate problem, but they do not realize that the developing countries are the archcriminals, not developing countries.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisActually, it is true that the climate is become warmer. But it is completely wrong for China to stop growing fast to be a developed country. It is actually not fair for China to make a commitment like that because the developed countries especially the U.S.A has already contributed to so much emissions in their deveoping period. Now they indeed realize the climate problem, but they do not realize that the developing countries are the archcriminals, not developing countries.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCopenhagen is to Global Climate Change Solution as Tylenol is to Fever Cure.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAt some point we need to shift the discussion away from symptom remedies to curing the real underlying causative issue....unchecked global population growth. It's not on the Copenhagen meeting agenda and it never seems to be mentioned in the context of the environment. Unfortunately no corporation, country, nor individual person wants to hear that they simply can't have any more. Perhaps its time to consider creating a global value system based on something other than growth.
Maybe, the UN should tax the crude producing countries with no loop holes. The proceed will then be manage as lottories ventures to benefit appropricate recipients. All other foreign aid should also cease because the above proceeds should take care of needs!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thistonyleung1988: Are you HIGH?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thistonyleusn1988:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIf China claims to be a developing country and yet they are now the largest pollution emittor, can you imagine when they become developed? What a joke! EVERYBODY ALREADY KNOW HOW "THE ART OF WAR" WORKS NOW
If we are going to have transparency, it might be an idea for the USA to start quoting its reduction targets from the 1990 baseline, like the rest of the World. The USA per capita emissions are twice those of Europe. This does indicate that there is a lot of opportunity without Americans having to live in caves. Of course, who wants to live in a society with longer life expectancy, less crime, more vacations and universal health care? Hell - that's socialism!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisEcole is correct. The principal driver of global warming is Homo sapien population.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAll countries rich or poor, developed or undeveloped destroy the vegetative cover of the land they control. This reduces the amount of solar energy absorbed to convert CO2 into sugars. The energy instead heats the planet. Cannot restore the forests - no place for the selfish Homo sapien.
Bangladesh with a population density of over 1100 persons per square kilometre is hoping the world will assist by accepting 20 million of its citizens to reduce the crush. Only problem: The population will be replaced and density increase even higher while the 20 million depart.
Forelonehope: Capitalism, Communism, Socialism - Nothing is going to save the Homo sapien. Hope is truly lost.
Those who wish to rob Peter to pay Paul can always count on the support of Paul.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI'd be very interested in how many developing nations would give a damn about climate change in they were to get nothing out of it, or worse yet, pay.
I find it even more disingenuous of these tin-pot dictators who routinely starve, torture and murder their own citizens to suddenly stand up and demand "eco-justice".
And Greedpiece (they're Greedy and they want their Piece, and yours too) and their ilk show their own utter lack of morals by bedding down with these thieves and murderers in order to forward their own narrow myopic but wonderfully self-enriching agenda.