Nations Heading to Durban Climate Talks Remain Deeply Divided - NYTimes.com
U.N. climate chief Christiana Figueres lauded a climate change meeting in Panama as "good progress" this weekend, even as environmental activists warned that the world's only structure for curbing greenhouse gas emissions appears about to crumble.
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"South Africa is the tipping point in terms of the future of the climate regime," said Tasneem Essop, international climate policy advocate for the World Wildlife Fund in South Africa.
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Figueres on Friday lauded the European Union for helping to launch "constructive discussions" and said "governments are exploring those middle-ground solutions that would allow them to go forward with a second commitment period."
Yet the United States, which is not a party to Kyoto but as the world's largest historic carbon emitter is central to the future of the climate regime, appears to be putting the kibosh on such a compromise.
Speaking at a wrap-up press conference in Panama, U.S. Deputy Envoy Jonathan Pershing acknowledged that "the uncertainty over a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol is a source of anxiety for many parties." But in describing the E.U. proposal, Pershing said, "We do not believe that conditions are ripe in Durban for a legally binding agreement."
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3 comments:
America is no longer the the "largest" so we get ... "world's largest historic carbon emitter"
What Anonymous said! (12:16 PM 10-10-11): America is no longer the the "largest" so we get ... "world's largest historic carbon emitter"
The need to be Special, to live in Exciting and Special Times, is what this foolishness is all about. If the US is not the greatest polluter on Earth, then the focus should be directed - at least in part - elsewhere. Which is out of "our" control, and diminishes the power that "we", the Special People, have.
So let's drag up "historic" to define our infamy. Perhaps we could revert to slavery days to explain how cotton produced by slavery initiated the CO2 pollution of the world. Make our crimes, our guilt and shame so great that we can forever claim the moral high ground in our struggles - even if ineffective or mistargeted! For Special People go the extra distance. And will surely be rewarded by fevered appreciation of the next generation, if not in the eyes of the Lord (our favoured outcome).
As soon as the Western Greens recognize that their moral fibres are not the cause, key and solution to changing the world, the Cause will collapse. They will be diminished and forced to skulk away as children found whining about not getting their way.
If they can't be captain, will the Greens still want to play ball?
Sir...there are a thousand research articles on CO2 since AR4.
Nearly all say CO2 is improving the productive capacity of plants, say crops and forests...in the last 70 years...
Controlling CO2 is fruitless...but
controlling sulfur, nitrogen oxides, mercury, etc. is desirable.
Vern Cornell
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