US says it will take part in post 2012 process
The US gave on Wednesday its closest indication to date of participating in a post 2012 greenhouse gas emissions target at the UN’s climate change conference in Austria, although it fell short of using the word “mandatory”.
Harlan Watson, the US’ senior climate negotiator, told reporters on Wednesday it would contribute to emissions limits after the Kyoto protocol expires, according to a live UN webcast. Watson would not however be drawn on specific target levels nor would he give a timetable on when they would be achieved.
“We will also come through with what we believe to be our contribution,” Watson said, adding that developing countries would also have to pull their weight.
When asked whether the EU and the US were locking horns over climate change, Watson replied there were more issues on which the two entities agreed than disagreed. “We are working together on carbon capture and storage, on a new generation of nuclear power plants and on reduction of methane emissions,” he said, but conceded the US had not seen eye to eye with Brussels over Kyoto. Watson assured the US remained committed to a post 2012 framework which would come under the UN’s remit.
Other Related Stories
