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Developed countries need to show will at climate talks

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-06-09 14:17

BONN -- The United Nations climate talks should adhere to the principle and basic framework of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, said Li Gao, acting chief of the Chinese delegation to the second round of the talks this year.

"The meeting has great significance, but no substantial progress has been made so far" as major developed countries lack political will to push the negotiation forward according to the "Bali Road Map," Li told Xinhua in a recent interview.

The second round of the UN climate talks opened in Bonn, Germany on June 1 and will last until June 12. The main task of this round is to discuss and prepare key negotiating texts for the Copenhagen meeting in December.

"Developed countries have neither enough active responses to proposals from developing countries about emission-cut target by 2020, nor interests in providing funds and technologies to help developing countries adapt to climate change," Li said.

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Some developed countries are tardy in providing emission-cut target, while some developed countries' targets are much lower than the requirements of the international community, Li said.

Li took the United States as an example, saying its target is only equivalent to the 1990 level. However, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change required developed countries to realize that target in 2000, which means the United States has delayed its obligation under the Convention for 20 years.

To push forward the negotiating process, China recently made clear its position for the Copenhagen meeting, asking developed countries as a whole to cut emissions by at least 40 percent from the 1990 level by 2020.

Li said many developing countries have made similar proposals, but in the current situation, the gap between developed countries and developing countries on these issues is quite large.

On climate-friendly technologies and funds, Li said, developed countries failed to fulfill the obligations required by the Convention over the past decade.

Lack of environment-friendly technologies will seriously hurt the global efforts against climate change as developing countries are in the process of industrialization and urbanization, Li said.

He also pointed out that it was "totally unacceptable" that some proposals of developed countries were at odds with the principles and basic framework of the "Bali Road Map," the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, and they might ruin the Kyoto Protocol and put great obstacles to the future negotiating process.

Some developed countries tried to classify developing countries into several levels and transfer the emission-cut burden to developing countries, which are at odds with the principle of "common but differentiated responsibility," Li said.

Developed countries should square up to their responsibilities, demonstrate enough political will, and abide by the principle and basic framework of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol to push for substantive progress at future negotiations as soon as possible.