Barcelona hosts Climate Change talks next week

The Catalan city of Barcelona nextweek is the venue for the final round of talks on Climate Change before the Convention of Parties (COP15 meeting) to be held in Copenhagen in December.

The delegates in Barcelona will discuss the text of the texts of two previous working groups with the aim of drawing up a further text that will hopefully lead to a final agreement in Copenhagen.

The purpose is to try to work within the framework of the KyotoProtocol and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of the industrialized counties beyond 2012.

The talks will be divided into five blocks, each dealing with adifferent aspect of the problems to be faces. These areas are: Shared vision, adaptation, mitigation, financing and the transfer of technology.

Among the difficulties to be faces is that of to what levels greenhouse gases should be cut. Developing nations such as China and India have agreed to cut emissions by 40% of their 1990 levelsby 2020. EU nations meanwhile have promised to reduce their emissions by 20%.

However, that percentage could increase if the USA and possiblyJapan are willing to make a commitment to even higher cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

It is hoped the new US administration will be more willing thatthe Bush government and there are also hopes of a better understanding between the USA and China.

Over 4,000 delegates and observers will descend on Barcelona for the talks, which will be held between Nov. 2 and Nov. 6.

Source: Xinhua