Representatives from 16 major economies vowed to take aggressive action on energy security and climate change at a U.S.-sponsored climate change meeting, which concluded Friday in Washington.
Seeking to change the U.S. image on global warming, the Bush administration convened the first of a series of meetings to set a long-term goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Sixteen major economies, comprising both developed and developing nations, along with EU and UN representatives, agreed to speed up efforts to address climate change in the two-day meeting.
Representatives highlighted the importance in increasing investment in key technology areas to reduce greenhouse gases, and the need for financing clean energy technologies in the developing world.
All nations will act to advance the global goal in effective and measurable ways, and in accordance with their "common but differentiated" responsibilities and respective capabilities.
Yvo de Boer, top UN climate official, told the 16 nations on the first day that "this relatively small group of countries holds the key to tackling a big part of the problem" but that their response can succeed only by "going well beyond present efforts," especially among rich and industrialized nations.
In their national statements, participants reflected a "diversity of perspectives," but all placed a high priority on action to address climate change.
Developing countries highlighted their efforts to address the global issue. "China attaches great importance to climate change, and has devised a series of policies and taken various measures to address climate change in the overall context of our national sustainable development strategy and outstanding achievements have been made," said Xie Zhenhua, deputy minister of China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).
Meanwhile, representatives from developing countries such as China, Mexico and Brazil urged the industrialized countries to take the lead in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fighting global warming.
They stressed that developed countries should be at the forefront and assume deeper and more ambitious commitments to climate change. Developed countries must also fulfill their commitments to provide resources and transfer technology to developing countries to enhance their capability and capacity to address climate change.
U.S. President George W. Bush told the participants Friday morning that he proposed to create an international clean technology fund. This fund will be supported by contributions from governments around the world, and it will help finance clean energy projects in the developing world.
"We must also work to make these technologies more widely available, especially in the developing world," said Bush.
The United States, the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, has refused to ratify the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which mandates cuts in the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. The protocol will expire in 2012.
During his closely-watched speech Friday, Bush still refused to accept mandatory emission-reduction obligations, preferring to encourage the development of new technologies and other voluntary measures.
"Our guiding principle is clear: we must lead the world to produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and we must do it in a way that does not undermine economic growth," said Bush. "Each nation must decide for itself the right mix of tools and technologies to achieve results that are measurable and environmentally effective."
Some European countries have raised concerns that Bush's long-term goal to drive forward an agenda for voluntary and technology-driven measures will subvert the global process under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
During the meeting, U.S. representatives clarified that the U.S.-hosted meeting is not a substitute to the UN framework, but is aimed at contributing to the negotiations leading to the post-Kyoto international agreement.
After a vigorous debate, James Connaughton, Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality at the White House, said in a post-meeting summary that all participants underlined the central role of the UNFCCC as the global forum for addressing climate change, and "speakers welcomed the U.S. initiative as a constructive contribution to these efforts."
Source: Xinhua
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