Climate talks
November 22, 2011
China, the world's top greenhouse gas emitter, called on the wealthy nations Tuesday to develop a funding mechanism to help developing countries deal with climate change effects.
Ahead of major climate talks in South Africa, Beijing's top climate negotiator Xie Zhenhua said China would only bind itself to commitments that are "appropriate to our stage of development," echoing China's long-maintained stance that poorer countries should not be required to make binding commitments on the Kyoto Protocol, which requires nations to reduce emissions.
"The emission-reduction plan for developed countries in the second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol should be made clear as soon as possible," Xie told reporters. The first commitment period on the Kyoto Protocol expires at the end of 2012.
Japan, Canada and Russia have already objected to the second commitment period citing the lack of legal constraints on the world's biggest carbon polluters. Europe says it won't accept a continuation until China and the US show seriousness about reducing their emissions in the coming years.
'China is doing all it can'
China says that developed countries, with their long history of industrialization, should take more responsibility for climate change. The refusal of the United States to join the protocol has hampered progress on climate talks. However, talks are also hampered by the fact that developing industrial giants such as China and India refuse to commit to the protocol's binding constraints. The 2009 climate talks in Copenhagen nearly collapsed due to the lack of agreement on Kyoto by the major emitters of carbon gases.
China's climate chief said Beijing was doing its best to cut down the greenhouse gas emissions. "In 2009, we committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions per unit of gross national product by between 40 and 45 percent by 2020 compared with 2005 emissions," said Xie.
"There is a view from the international community that China is the number one emitter of carbon dioxide and its emissions are growing rapidly," he added. "This assessment is correct. China's current emissions of greenhouses are very huge and the increase is very rapid. This is a fact."
Little progress is expected from the talks at the UN climate change talks in Durban that kick off next Monday.
Author: Shamil Shams (AFP, dpa)
Editor: Anne Thomas