UN chief rebukes G8 for ommiting near-term emissions targets, financing in climate discussions

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 - 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 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.

September 25th, 2009 PITTSBURGH - Amid mounting pressure from the developed countries to take emission reduction target before December's Copenhagen climate change meet, India has stated that while its emission levels would not exceed those of developed countries, it is against any legally binding absolute emission targets. Speaking on the sidelines of the G-20 summit here, Prime Minister's Special Envoy on climate change Shyam Saran said that India would not be able to take absolute emission reduction targets of the kind which developed countries are obliged to take under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

September 18th, 2009 LONDON - Indian plans to set numerical targets for curbing greenhouse gas emissions were described Friday as a breakthrough that challenges the US and other rich nations over climate change action. Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh told The Times of London legislation was being drafted to limit India's carbon footprint ahead of a UN climate change summit in Copenhagen December.

July 24th, 2009 STOCKHOLM - The European Commission has said that it wanted the targets for energy efficiency improvements to be made mandatory as the block's enegry ministers began their discussions in northern Sweden Thursday. "There is a fresh political will among the member states to make the targets binding," said European Union (EU) Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs at a press conference after the meeting in Are, 630 km northwest of Stockholm.

July 15th, 2009 US urges China to set 2050 emissions targetsBEIJING — China and other developing countries should join the United States in setting mid-century targets to cut carbon emissions in the battle against global warming, the U.S. energy secretary said Wednesday.

July 10th, 2009 L'AQUILA - The developing countries criticised the G-8 nations for not taking enough steps to curb global warming, dubbing the proposed long-term targets as meaningless. he larger developing nations said they wanted to see more credible mid term targets than long-term ambitious targets.

July 9th, 2009 L'AQUILA - The G8 or the world's most wealthy and developed countries have remained non-committal on setting targets for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, a demand being stressed by the emerging economies (G5) and other developing countries. Though the G8 and G5 came out with a joint declaration on various issues at this quake-hit Italian town, 100 km from Rome, the document neither set targets for reducing emissions nor any dateline.

July 9th, 2009 Big polluters want to help poorer countries adaptL'AQUILA, Italy — The world's industrialized countries are looking to provide "significant financial resources" to the developing world to help them combat global warming and will ask a September meeting of the world's 20 major economies to take up the issue, U.S. President Barack Obama said Thursday.

July 9th, 2009 UN chief rebukes G8 over climate failuresL'AQUILA, Italy — The U.N. chief sharply rebuked the Group of Eight leaders on Thursday for failing to make more commitments to reducing climate change in the near term, saying they must do so if the heavily polluting developing world is to follow suit.

July 9th, 2009 L'AQUILA - Developed countries comprising the G8 are unwilling to commit themselves to reducing greenhouse gas emissions drastically by 2020, despite scientists across the world and developing countries urging them to do so. With the issue of climate change becoming significant during the G8-G5 summit here, especially in the run-up to the UN climate change summit to be held in Copenhagen this December, emerging economies of the G5 are exerting pressure on the G8 to commit to earlier targets on reducing emissions.

July 8th, 2009 G8 reaches agreement on climate temperaturesL'AQUILA, Italy — The Group of Eight industrialized nations joined with developing countries in agreeing Wednesday that average global temperatures shouldn't increase by more than 2 degrees Celsius in a significant new acknowledgement in the fight against global warming. The United States and other G-8 leaders also said they supported a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent or more by 2050.

June 4th, 2009 BRUSSELS - The European Union (EU) Wednesday hit a deadlock over the question of how to fund the fight against climate change in the developing world, EU diplomats said. The bloc is committed to supporting climate-change mitigation measures in poorer countries as part of a bid to win global acceptance for strict limits on emissions of greenhouse gases at a meeting in Copenhagen in December.

June 3rd, 2009 US may not be ready with numbers for climate dealBONN, Germany — The United States may miss a December deadline for committing to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, but that should not block an international agreement on global warming, the chief U.S. negotiator said Wednesday.