Saturday, December 15, 2007
News: Deal Struck At Bali Climate Summit
Sky News - A deal has been struck at the UN climate change conference in Bali to cut greenhouse gas emissions - but campaigners say it will not be enough to save the planet.
The agreement, which saw 187 countries pledge to work together on a "road map" to combat global warming, was reached after the US dropped its opposition at the very last moment.
President Bush has said he has "serious concerns" about the agreement while praising a deal to launch a new round of international climate talks.
Negotiators "must give sufficient emphasis to the important and appropriate role that the larger emitting developing countries should play," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.
A meeting will now take place in Copenhagen in 2009 to thrash out a treaty to succeed the Kyoto Protocol.
However, the EU delegation was forced to give ground on their calls for stricter targets on cutting carbon emissions - sparking outrage from campaigners.
They had pushed strongly for developed countries to be asked to make cuts of 25% to 40% by 2020.
But they caved in to US opposition and ditched references to specific percentage targets.
Instead, the final document says countries recognise that "deep cuts in global emissions" will be required, and calls for a "long-term global goal for emissions reductions".
Environment Secretary Hilary Benn told Sky News the agreement as "an historic breakthrough", and Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was "delighted".
But Sky News environment correspondent Catherine Jacob said that although politicians were hailing the deal, many campaigners and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were very unhappy.
"The big bugbear for most people here, particularly environmental groups, is the lack of science and hard targets in this Bali road map," she said.
"In fact, most of the science that was in the first draft has been relegated to a footnote, and that's why the NGOs here are calling the agreement a 'suicide pact'."
Friends of the Earth director Tony Juniper said: "Many of the developing countries brought good proposals to Bali - they know we need a climate deal - but the industrialised nations have let them down.
"We urgently need to find a way forward for an international agreement. This is a journey we have to make together."
The agreement, which saw 187 countries pledge to work together on a "road map" to combat global warming, was reached after the US dropped its opposition at the very last moment.President Bush has said he has "serious concerns" about the agreement while praising a deal to launch a new round of international climate talks.
Negotiators "must give sufficient emphasis to the important and appropriate role that the larger emitting developing countries should play," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.
A meeting will now take place in Copenhagen in 2009 to thrash out a treaty to succeed the Kyoto Protocol.
However, the EU delegation was forced to give ground on their calls for stricter targets on cutting carbon emissions - sparking outrage from campaigners.
They had pushed strongly for developed countries to be asked to make cuts of 25% to 40% by 2020.
But they caved in to US opposition and ditched references to specific percentage targets.
Instead, the final document says countries recognise that "deep cuts in global emissions" will be required, and calls for a "long-term global goal for emissions reductions".
Environment Secretary Hilary Benn told Sky News the agreement as "an historic breakthrough", and Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was "delighted".
But Sky News environment correspondent Catherine Jacob said that although politicians were hailing the deal, many campaigners and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were very unhappy."The big bugbear for most people here, particularly environmental groups, is the lack of science and hard targets in this Bali road map," she said.
"In fact, most of the science that was in the first draft has been relegated to a footnote, and that's why the NGOs here are calling the agreement a 'suicide pact'."
Friends of the Earth director Tony Juniper said: "Many of the developing countries brought good proposals to Bali - they know we need a climate deal - but the industrialised nations have let them down.
"We urgently need to find a way forward for an international agreement. This is a journey we have to make together."
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