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Journalism of Courage
Europe toned down a clash with the United States over 2020 climate goals on the final day of UN talks in Bali on Friday, raising hopes of a deal to start negotiations on a new global warming treaty. 8220;I think that the situation is good, the climate in the climate conference is good, that we will have success in the end,8221; German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel said in a shift to conciliation with Washington after confrontation on Thursday.
8220;All parties are willing to be flexible, to search for a compromise,8221; he said of Europe8217;s past insistence that Bali should set tough 2020 guidelines for greenhouse gas cuts despite opposition from Washington.
The talks on the Indonesian resort island, which began on December 3, are aimed at reaching agreement to launch two years of negotiations to work out a new international climate treaty to succeed the UN8217;s Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012.
The United Nations wants a new deal to involve all nations, led by the United States, the top emitter of greenhouse gases mainly from burning fossil fuels, and including poor nations such as China and India where emissions are soaring.
8220;There are intensive negotiations going on,8221; Yvo de Boer, head of the UN Climate Secretariat, told environment ministers as the Bali talks started a final session on Friday to approve draft decisions ranging from sharing green technology to a plan to slow the rate of deforestation.
Earlier, he told Reuters that the talks were likely to drag on long into the night 8220;way past your bedtime8221;.
8220;It8217;s a hard slog, but really worth it,8221; British Environment Secretary Hilary Benn told Reuters. The US delegation declined comment, repeatedly delaying a planned news conference.
Tempers flared on Thursday after the EU and the United States accused each other of blocking the launch of talks. European Commissioner Stavros Dimas threatened to boycott US climate talks in Hawaii next month if Bali failed.
Early on Friday, Indonesia suggested dropping an EU-backed ambition for rich nations to cut emissions by between 25 and 40 per cent by 2020 in a bid to overcome Washington8217;s opposition. Washington says any figures would prejudge the negotiations.
De Boer said the new draft was the basis for a compromise because it retained a guideline, consistent with the EU8217;s 2020 target, that world emissions should peak within 10 to 15 years and be cut by to well below half of 2000 levels by 2050.
It was not clear if the United States and other countries would agree to the text.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned of the risks of failure in Bali.
