EU says ‘decisive progress’ needed at climate talks in Bangkok

October 12th, 2009 US senator: global warming bill possible soon UNITED NATIONS — The chairman of the U.S. Senate's environment committee said Monday that it's possible Congress will pass a bill aimed at slowing global warming before international talks on a deal to limit climate change in Copenhagen in December.

October 9th, 2009 BANGKOK - India will continue to play a positive and constructive role in the ongoing negotiations on climate change leading upto the December summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, said Shyam Saran, the Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Climate Change, on Friday. Interacting with the media here, Saran said that the ongoing talks in Bangkok were on two tracks and added that both were critical to the success of the Climate Conference to be held in Copenhagen.

October 9th, 2009 No deal on crucial issues as UN climate talks end BANGKOK — The United States was heavily criticized Friday at the U.N. climate talks in Bangkok for failing to offer emission cuts or financing for developing countries — both considered crucial to reaching a global warming pact this year.

October 8th, 2009 Saudis ask for aid if world cuts dependence on oilBANGKOK — There are plenty of needy countries at the U.N. climate talks in Bangkok that make the case they need financial assistance to adapt to the impacts of global warming.

October 8th, 2009 UN talks to end without deal on crucial issuesBANGKOK — U.N. climate talks ended in a whimper Friday without progress on the pressing issues of emission cuts for wealthy nations or financing for the developing ones, both of which are crucial to reaching a global warming pact.

October 7th, 2009 BANGKOK - "When I have only one pair of shoes, it makes sense to stay with that pair." With these words, UN climate chief Yvo de Boer Wednesday came out clearly in favour of retaining the Kyoto Protocol to tackle global warming, despite strong efforts by many industrialised countries to dump it. The issue has become the main point of contention in the Sep 28-Oct 9 talks here in preparation for the climate summit in Copenhagen this December.

October 7th, 2009 BANGKOK - Talks to finalise a climate treaty in time for December's Copenhagen summit are still stuck over key issues of the extent to which industrialised countries will reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and how much they will pay developing countries to deal with global warming, India's top climate negotiator said here Wednesday. As the Sep 28-Oct 9 preparatory talks here neared their final phase, Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Climate Change Shyam Saran said: "There is no agreement on the most difficult issues - mitigation (of GHG emissions) and financing." "We need an early decision on significant (GHG) emission reduction targets during the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol (2013-2020), but there's virtually no progress." India and 36 other developing countries have proposed that industrialised countries -- which have emitted almost all the excess GHG that is leading to climate change -- reduce their emissions by at least 40 percent by 2020, compared to 1990.

October 6th, 2009 BANGKOK - Rich countries have been framing the climate debate to suit themselves rather than looking at the way global warming affects most of the world, which is why a global treaty is proving elusive, India's top climate negotiator said here Tuesday. "They don't talk about equity, they only talk of how to protect their lifestyles," the Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Climate Change Shyam Saran told a group of Indian NGO representatives.

September 30th, 2009 Leaders warn time running out for climate dealBANGKOK — U.N. climate talks kicked off Monday in Bangkok with leaders calling for delegates to break the deadlock over a global warming deal and warning that failure to act would leave future generations fighting for survival.

September 28th, 2009 BANGKOK - The penultimate round of negotiations in preparation for a global climate deal in Copenhagen this December started here Monday, with a fresh impetus given to the process by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and the G20 summit last week. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva opened the two-week meeting, saying: The (UNGA) summit was able to renew our collective engagement on the issue of climate change at the very highest levels.

September 28th, 2009 BANGKOK - International NGO WWF is "worried about a mismatch between credible leadership in Asia and empty rhetoric in Europe and the US" on ways to tackle climate change. "While key Asian countries are offering concrete contributions to reach a deal in December, EU and US are emerging as major stumbling blocks." As delegates from 177 countries gathered here Monday for the start of a two-week preparatory meet for December's climate summit in Copenhagen, WWF applauded Japan, China and India for outlining concrete action to mitigate emissions of greenhouse gases.

August 14th, 2009 India against US trade barrier for climate policyBONN, Germany — India wants the new global climate change agreement to ban trade barriers targeting nations that refuse to accept limits on their carbon emissions, the chief Indian climate negotiator said Friday. As some 180 nations work on drafting a new climate accord, India proposed adding a clause to bar any country from taking action against another country's goods and services based on its climate policy.

April 12th, 2009 BANGKOK - Thailand's government Sunday declared a state of emergency in Bangkok after arresting a leader who led protests that forced the cancellation of a key ASEAN summit the day before.

April 8th, 2009 BONN - India said it was disappointed at the slow pace of progress as global talks to confront climate change ended in Bonn Wednesday amid a widening chasm between developed and developing countries on the future course of action. As delegates from 175 countries wound up discussions ahead of a final conference in Copenhagen set for mid-December, the leader of the Indian delegation criticised the world's richest countries for refusing to agree binding cuts on their emission of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

March 29th, 2009 BONN - A new round of UN climate change negotiations kicks off in Bonn Sunday, as 2,000 delegates from around 180 countries gather in the former German capital. The 10-day conference is the first of three planned meetings paving the way for December's Copenhagen summit, where final talks are due on a renewal of the Kyoto Protocol, which is set to expire in 2012.