Ladywriter
December 13th, 2007, 06:16 PM
BALI, Indonesia (CNN) -- Negotiations over a new agreement on global warming were expected to go down to the wire as the United States and the European Union remained at loggerheads over how to replace the 10-year-old Kyoto Protocol.
The United Nations climate change conference in Bali is in its final hours, and negotiations are expected to last well into the night as the summit wraps up mid-day Friday local time.
The Europeans are pushing for an agreement that contains specific numbers for emissions cuts, but Washington wants to leave room for future negotiations, including next month's U.S.-sponsored climate talks in Hawaii.
The EU delegation has balked at that stance, saying it would render January's major emitters meeting "meaningless."http://i.l.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/2.0/mosaic/tabs/video.gif Watch efforts to encourage fruitful talks » (http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/13/climate.conference/index.html#cnnSTCVideo)
"We are disappointed that having reached this stage of the negotiations we still haven't heard from the United States -- what is their exact level of ambition or of engagement in the Bali roadmap?," said Humberto Rosa, a member of European delegation and Portuguese secretary of state for the environment.
Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, fresh from accepting the Nobel peace prize for his work on climate change awareness, sided with the Europeans.
"My own country, the United States, is principally responsible for obstructing progress here in Bali. We all know that," he said. "But my country is not the only that can take steps to ensure that we move forward in bali with progress and with hope."
Gore accepted the Nobel peace prize on Monday, alongside the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (http://topics.cnn.com/topics/Global_Climate_Change) .
In an interview with CNN, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon leaned toward the United States' position, stressing that Bali negotiations have to be "based on realistic and practical assessment."
"Somewhere down the road, quantifiable targets on emissions reductions" would be discussed, he said, adding that "launching the process (is) very important."
Japan and Canada have taken positions in line with the United States, while Australia's position is uncertain.
Washington is balking at suggestions by the EU that any agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol on global warming should require developed countries to cut their emissions by 25 to 40 percent of 1990 levels by 2020.
The Bush administration says Europe is moving too fast in its efforts to find a replacement for the Kyoto (http://topics.cnn.com/topics/Kyoto_Protocol) treaty, which expires in 2012.
"The main effort here in Bali is to get all of the countries to agree, in concept, that they will collectively support a long term global goal for reducing emissions," said James Connaughton, the chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. "That's the first step before you can then sit down and work through the specifics of what that goal might be."
The shrill tone of Thursday's public statements indicated the behind-the-doors negotiations were difficult.
Rosa said the European delegation said it is not "blackmailing" Washington, but said it is "logic(al)" that if no deal is completed in Bali, it can not be built upon in Hawaii.
The Kyoto Protocol was passed 10 years ago by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change with the goal of limiting greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.
While 175 parties -- including the European Union -- have ratified it, the United States has not.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/13/climate.conference/index.html
man.... someone needs to get shot in the fuckin face -_-;
The United Nations climate change conference in Bali is in its final hours, and negotiations are expected to last well into the night as the summit wraps up mid-day Friday local time.
The Europeans are pushing for an agreement that contains specific numbers for emissions cuts, but Washington wants to leave room for future negotiations, including next month's U.S.-sponsored climate talks in Hawaii.
The EU delegation has balked at that stance, saying it would render January's major emitters meeting "meaningless."http://i.l.cnn.net/cnn/.element/img/2.0/mosaic/tabs/video.gif Watch efforts to encourage fruitful talks » (http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/13/climate.conference/index.html#cnnSTCVideo)
"We are disappointed that having reached this stage of the negotiations we still haven't heard from the United States -- what is their exact level of ambition or of engagement in the Bali roadmap?," said Humberto Rosa, a member of European delegation and Portuguese secretary of state for the environment.
Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, fresh from accepting the Nobel peace prize for his work on climate change awareness, sided with the Europeans.
"My own country, the United States, is principally responsible for obstructing progress here in Bali. We all know that," he said. "But my country is not the only that can take steps to ensure that we move forward in bali with progress and with hope."
Gore accepted the Nobel peace prize on Monday, alongside the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (http://topics.cnn.com/topics/Global_Climate_Change) .
In an interview with CNN, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon leaned toward the United States' position, stressing that Bali negotiations have to be "based on realistic and practical assessment."
"Somewhere down the road, quantifiable targets on emissions reductions" would be discussed, he said, adding that "launching the process (is) very important."
Japan and Canada have taken positions in line with the United States, while Australia's position is uncertain.
Washington is balking at suggestions by the EU that any agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol on global warming should require developed countries to cut their emissions by 25 to 40 percent of 1990 levels by 2020.
The Bush administration says Europe is moving too fast in its efforts to find a replacement for the Kyoto (http://topics.cnn.com/topics/Kyoto_Protocol) treaty, which expires in 2012.
"The main effort here in Bali is to get all of the countries to agree, in concept, that they will collectively support a long term global goal for reducing emissions," said James Connaughton, the chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. "That's the first step before you can then sit down and work through the specifics of what that goal might be."
The shrill tone of Thursday's public statements indicated the behind-the-doors negotiations were difficult.
Rosa said the European delegation said it is not "blackmailing" Washington, but said it is "logic(al)" that if no deal is completed in Bali, it can not be built upon in Hawaii.
The Kyoto Protocol was passed 10 years ago by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change with the goal of limiting greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.
While 175 parties -- including the European Union -- have ratified it, the United States has not.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/13/climate.conference/index.html
man.... someone needs to get shot in the fuckin face -_-;