EU's Dimas says US' aspirational targets for emission cuts are not enough

EU's Dimas says US' aspirational targets for emission cuts are not enough

	Published : Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:59 By : Agencies Print this Story

BRUSSELS (Thomson Financial) - EU environment commissioner Stavros Dimas said the US' 'aspirational' approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions will not be enough in the fight against climate change.

'The US does not accept binding reductions, it wants to have aspirational reductions. But aspirational targets are not enough,' the commissioner said in Brussels.

Dimas said he hopes the UN conference in Bali, Indonesia, starting on Dec 3, will be an opportunity for the US to agree to launch negotiations and move towards an agreement on what the UN's roadmap will be on tackling climate change.

'Perhaps the US can agree on our (the EU's) building blocks or under more general headings,' he said.

There were 'increasingly encouraging signals' that US opposition to a climate change deal had lessened, he said.

Dimas also said a potential obstacle to talks in Bali might be on the role of countries such as China, India and South Africa in fighting climate change.

The EU believes emerging countries should participate in the emission reduction effort according to their capabilities. They should start by reducing the growth rate of their emissions and then have absolute reductions by 2020.

'If they do not participate in the reduction effort we cannot fight climate change effectively,' Dimas said.

Leaders will meet at the Bali conference to decide the future course of the worldwide push to curb greenhouse gas emissions after the 2012 expiration of the first phase of the Kyoto Protocol, the landmark agreement that assigned binding reduction targets to 36 countries.

The US is seen as the main hurdle to a new climate change, after it vocalised staunch opposition to binding targets in the past.

nina.chestney@thomson.com

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