Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
Navigation
Primary Navigation
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular
Secondary Navigation
Africa
Europe
Latin America
Middle East
North America
Search
Search:
Curtain set to rise on marathon climate talks
AFP - Tuesday, December 2
POZNAN, Poland (AFP) - - Representatives from almost every country on the planet are set to start 12 days of tough talks in Poland on Monday aimed at getting the ball rolling for a new global climate change pact.
The forum of the 192-member UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Poznan, Poland comes halfway along a two-year process launched by the international community in Bali a year ago.
The aim is to forge a new global treaty in Copenhagen in December 2009 that will be the most ambitious and complex environmental deal ever seen.
The stakes are high, with scientists warning that failure to take action on a worldwide basis will inflict irreparable damage to the planet's climate system.
It means humans have to find ways of producing power, feeding and equipping themselves and travelling that produce fewer greenhouse emissions.
These gases act like a blanket in atmosphere to make the Earth habitable, but in excess they will heat up the planet's surface too much, wreaking changes to the climate system that could be cataclysmic for many millions of people.
"I honestly think that what happens between Poznan and Copenhagen on climate change will affect the world that we leave behind us more than anything that we do," Yvo de Boer, UNFCCC executive secretary, said on the eve of the talks.
But agreeing is a Herculean task.
Rich countries hold most of the world's wealth and consume most of its resources, but are pushing for concessions from China and India, which are becoming major polluters in their own right.
Developing countries, meanwhile, want the West to help pay for them to grow their economies in a sustainable manner and stump up cash to shore up the defences of poor countries most vulnerable to climate change.
Delegates in Poland will be examining an 82-page document containing a range of differing and complex proposals for long-term cooperative action.
By the end of the talks on December 12, it is hoped that this will have been condensed into a workable blueprint for negotiations culminating in a deal in Copenhagen.
One spur for optimism is that the United States, one of the world's biggest polluter per capita, will next month have a new leader -- one whose "yes we can" mentality can work for international climate negotations, it is hoped.
George W. Bush mauled the UNFCCC's Kyoto Treaty on binding emissions cuts for rich countries when he abandoned it in 2001, but under Barack Obama, his policies would be scrapped.
Obama has set a goal of reducing US emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and by 80 percent by 2050, using a cap-and-trade system and a 10-year programme worth 150 billion dollars in renewable energy.
De Boer said on the eve of the talks that although Obama would not be present in Poznan, his "eyes and ears" will be. A congressional delegation will include Senator John Kerry, chairing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
But Obama is also taking office in the teeth of what many fear will turn out to be the worst recession for generations, and the efforts needed to tackle this will take up much of his energy, not to mention large amounts of cash.
This is a problem shared by other leaders too, not least in the 27-nation European Union where increased strains on finances risk pushing climate change way down the agenda.
Just when the Poznan talks reach a climax, EU leaders will meet in Brussels to try to resolve objections by Poland and Italy about the cost of reaching the bloc's climate targets.
Email Story
IM Story
Printable View
Blog This
Recommend this article
Average (0 votes)
Sign in to recommend this article »
Most Recommended Stories »
Related Articles: Climate Change
Brazil describes new plan to slow deforestationAP - Tuesday, December 2
Quest for new climate treaty begins in earnestAP - Tuesday, December 2
Climate change juggernaut on the horizon, UN talks toldAFP - Tuesday, December 2
Climate change boosts potential for conflict, UN talks toldAFP - Tuesday, December 2
Related Articles: World
US cruise line confirms pirate attack off SomaliaAFP - 38 minutes ago
Sweden to come to rescue of struggling carmakers Saab and VolvoAFP - 49 minutes ago
More than 200 escape from top security Liberian jail: policeAFP - 51 minutes ago
Ecuador backs Betancourt hostage release missionAFP - 1 hour 1 minute ago
Car plows into parade crowd in Texas; several hurtAP - 1 hour 8 minutes ago
Enlarge Photo
Demonstrators dressed up as penguins attend a protest around climate change on November 29 in Paris. Representatives from almost every country on the planet are set to start 12 days of tough talks in Poland aimed at getting the ball rolling for a new global climate change pact.
Related Full Coverage
climate change
climate change
All Full Coverage
Most Popular – World
Viewed
Wall Street plunges as recession becomes reality
World AIDS Day highlights big challenges 20 years on
Saudi king says 75 dollar oil price 'fair'
Love handles increase death risk: study
World's oldest person dies at 115 years
View Complete List »
Search:
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular