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Climate talks go through difficult moment: Brazilian negotiator

2009-10-18 10:49 BJT

BRASILIA, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's chief negotiator for the Copenhagen summit said on Friday that the UN climate change talks are going through a "difficult moment" due to divergences between the developed and developing countries.

Luiz Alberto Figueiredo Machado told a press conference in Itamaraty that a worldwide agreement on the fight against climate change could not be thrashed out until at the last moment in Copenhagen in December.

He said the key points at the talks were how much industrialized countries in general and United States in particular are willing to be committed to the second phase of the Kyoto Protocol, starting in 2013.

The thorniest point lies in the fact that developed countries remain reticent about setting more ambitious goals in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. "Developed countries' proposal are far from pleasing," he said.

Another crucial point is the discussion about developed countries' financial aid to developing countries who are contributing least to global warming but are suffering more from its consequences. The investments vary from 100 billion to 700 billion dollars a year, Figueiredo said.

He recalled Denmark's position in Bangkok, summing up the problem in one sentence: "No Money, No Deal."

The "Group of 77" composed by the majority of developing countries proposes that industrialized countries invest between 0.5 and one percent of their GDP) in efforts to fight climate change.

Brazil promised this week to reduce 80 percent of the deforestation in the Amazon Rain Forest by 2020 as a contribution to global efforts.

Despite difficulties at the negotiations, one agreement was reached on technology transfers to help developing countries in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Editor: Liu Anqi | Source: Xinhua