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EU Seeks Process to Clarify Copenhagen Emissions Targets
2010-12-02 17:59:32.697 GMT
By Mathew Carr
Dec. 2 (Bloomberg) -- The European Union is seeking new
negotiations outside the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to lock down
targets discussed last year in the Copenhagen Accord.
The 2009 agreement doesn't have legal standing in United
Nations talks that started this week in Cancun, Mexico. Terms
need to be "anchored" and approved by nations in the current
negotiations, said Peter Wittoeck, a Belgian envoy for the EU.
The Cancun meeting should attempt to make the targets in
the Copenhagen accord tighter, Wittoeck told reporters today at
a press briefing. While the EU has said it's willing to consider
a 30 percent cut in its emissions by 2020 compared with 1990
levels, nations including China and India offered
targets based on greenhouse gas produced per unit of economic
activity.
"Having clarity on what assumptions are with regards to
gross domestic product growth, etc. would be part of this
clarification," Wittoeck said in an interview after the
briefing. "You have to distinguish between the list for
developed countries and developing countries. It's extremely
delicate. It's related to common-but-differentiated
responsibilities."
Deliberately deciding to delay any extension of the Kyoto
Protocol would help keep talks on track next year, he said.
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To contact the reporter on this story:
Mathew Carr in London at +44-20-7073-3531 or
m.carr@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Mike Anderson at +44-20-7673-2718 or
manderson34@bloomberg.net
