Why has Africa protest hits U.N. climate talks in final week (Reuters)?
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Ministers strived to break a deadlock in global climate talks on Tuesday, three days before world leaders are meant to agree a new U.N. pact aimed at averting dangerous climate change. Organizers of the Copenhagen talks said environment ministers would work deep into night on Tuesday to narrow wide differences, saying the bulk of the work must be complete before some 130 leaders formally join the Dec 7-18 meeting on Thursday. Talks remained stalled after a stand-off the previous day, held up by disputes over the level of emissions cuts by rich countries and a long-term global target to curb a rise in global temperatures which could trigger rising sea levels, floods and drought. “We have seen significant progress in a number of areas but we haven’t seen enough of it…we are in a very important phase,” said U.N. climate chief Yvo de Boer. Danish President of the talks Connie Hedegaard said she hoped the tight deadline might add urgency to the talks and help break
A protest by African nations accusing rich countries of doing too little to cut greenhouse gas emissions slowed U.N. climate talks on Monday just four days before world leaders are due to forge a deal in Copenhagen. After a five-hour standoff, the African nations let talks restart after assurances their objections would be heard. They accused the rich of trying to kill off the Kyoto Protocol, which obliges many industrialised nations to cut emissions until 2012. “We’re talking again,” said Kemal Djemouai, an Algerian official who leads the group of African nations at the Dec. 7-18 meeting. Talks on a pact to succeed Kyoto have been sluggish since they started two years ago in Bali, Indonesia. But negotiators have scant time to reach a new U.N. deal to fight global warming at a summit of 110 world leaders on Friday, shifting the world economy from fossil fuels in a bid to avert heatwaves, floods, mudslides or rising sea levels. In Washington, the White House said President Barack Obama
Reuters – A protest by African nations accusing rich countries of doing too little to cut greenhouse gas emissions slowed U.N. climate talks on Monday just four days before world leaders are due to forge a deal in Copenhagen. ยป Full Story on Yahoo! News Sources: http://news.yahoo.
