Reuters 17 Dec 09;
(Reuters) - About 120 world leaders and 193 countries are meeting in Copenhagen to agree a new global climate deal, the basis for a full climate treaty next year.
A new pact would replace the Kyoto Protocol whose present round ends in 2012.
Following are key issues yet to be agreed, and some areas of possible agreement if draft texts are approved.
ONE TREATY OR TWO?
* No agreement on whether to extend Kyoto and add extra national commitments under a separate pact, or end Kyoto and agree one new treaty which specifies actions by all countries
* Kyoto limits the emissions of nearly 40 industrialized countries from 2008-2012, but the United States never ratified the pact and it doesn't bind the emissions of developing nations
* Rich nations prefer one new treaty including all countries
* Developing nations want to extend and sharpen Kyoto limits on rich countries, and add a separate deal binding the United States and which includes support for and action by poor nations
TERMS OF NEW TREATY
* No agreement on whether new pact or pacts would run from 2013-2017 or 2013-2020
* No agreement on whether would be legally binding
LONG-TERM GOAL
* No agreement yet on a long-term goal to avoid dangerous climate change
* A U.N. text on Wednesday proposed choices to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius, 1.5 degrees or 1 degree above pre-industrial levels, and to cut global greenhouse gas emissions by between 50 and 95 percent by 2050
* Poorer nations oppose long-term global emissions targets until rich countries commit to do more in the short-term
MID-TERM RICH NATION EMISSIONS CUTS
* No agreement yet on how far individual rich countries should cut their emissions by 2020
* No agreement on a reference year for those cuts, for example compared with 1990 or 2005
* Draft U.N. texts on Wednesday proposed options for cuts of 15-49 percent compared with 1990 or 2005
* Rich nations have proposed 14-18 percent cuts versus 1990
* Developing nations including China want collective rich nation cuts of at least 40 percent by 2020 versus 1990
FINANCE
* Agreement is nearing on how much rich nations should pay developing nations in the short or medium term to help them fight climate change
* The United States, Europe and the head of the African group of nations support $10 billion per year by 2012 fast-track funding, and $100 billion annually by 2020
* The United States said U.S. participation was conditional on a "strong accord" in Copenhagen
* No agreement on how the finance bill will be split between countries
DEADLINE FOR NEW DEAL
* Copenhagen aims to agree a global climate pact. No agreement yet on a deadline to make that into a full treaty
* U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and French President Nicolas Sarkozy this week called for a full treaty by June 2010
CLIMATE ACTION BY DEVELOPING NATIONS
* No agreement yet on how far poorer countries should commit to targets to curb growth in greenhouse gases
* The United States demands transparency from developing nations on climate action
* A Wednesday draft proposed a registry to record developing country actions, but left open whether that was voluntary or not
EXCLUDED SECTORS, LOOPHOLES
* No agreement on whether to include aviation and shipping, and make it mandatory to include farming and forestry in targets
* Kyoto excludes greenhouse gases from aviation and shipping, responsible for at least 5 percent of global emissions
* Under Kyoto rich countries don't have to include in their targets emissions from land use, including forests and farming
* Combined, farms and deforestation account for a third of all global greenhouse gases
ROLE OF CARBON MARKETS
* No agreement yet on how to scale up carbon finance under Kyoto's existing $6.5 billion clean development mechanism (CDM)
* Under the CDM rich nations pay for emissions cuts in developing countries through trade in carbon offsets
* The European Union wants the scheme to invest tens of billions annually in developing nations by 2020
* No agreement on whether to include carbon capture storage in the CDM, a technology which cuts carbon emissions from coal plants
* No agreement on including forest preservation in CDM
* Likely agreement to allow developers to appeal against U.N. panel rejections of CDM projects
FORESTRY
* Likely agreement on rewarding tropical countries which slow deforestation under a new deal
* A Wednesday text includes safeguards to protect indigenous people's rights and prevent rewards for conversion of virgin forests
* No agreement on how to fund forest preservation
(Reporting by Gerard Wynn, Editing by Janet McBride, gerard.wynn@reuters.com; +44 207 542 2302)
Who is giving what at Copenhagen climate talks?
Reuters 17 Dec 09;
(Reuters) - Participants in UN climate talks are starting to trade blame for failure to achieve a breakthrough. Who is compromising and where at the Dec 7-18 talks?
CHINA - the world's top greenhouse gas emitter (6.8 billion tonnes annually, 5.5 tonnes per capita)
WHAT CHINA IS GIVING
* Emissions - China said it will cut its carbon intensity -- the amount of carbon dioxide emitted for each unit of GDP -- by 40 to 45 percent by 2020, compared with 2005.
The domestic voluntary target will still allow emissions of the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitter to grow substantially over the next decade, analysts said.
This is the first measurable curb on national emissions in China. President Hu Jintao has also said China would try to raise the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to 15 percent by 2020.
WHAT CHINA WANTS
* China said developed nations' targets to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions are not deep enough. It expects average cuts of at least 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2020 and wants a promise of far more aid and green technology.
* China joined poor nations in opposing a proposal by host Denmark on Wednesday to break the talks in to smaller groups to speed negotiations and simplify texts.
UNITED STATES - the world's second largest greenhouse has emitter (6.4 billion tonnes annually, 21.0 tonnes per capita)
WHAT THE UNITED STATES IS GIVING
* Emissions - The U.S. promised to cut 2005 emissions by 17 percent by 2020. This amounts to about 3 percent below 1990 levels, the benchmark used in the Kyoto Protocol. The U.S. also said it would extend cuts to 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2025, and 83 percent by 2050. Legislation to cut emissions by 20 percent from 2005 levels is stalled in the full Senate.
* Finance - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced on Thursday the United States is prepared to work with other countries toward a goal of jointly mobilizing $100 billion a year by 2020 to address the climate change needs of developing countries.
* On Wednesday the United States pledged $1 billion as part of a $3.5 billion scheme as initial financing toward slowing deforestation, a major contributor to climate change. Australia, France, Japan, Norway and Britain are also part of the forest protection plan.
WHAT THE UNITED STATES WANTS
* Obama says he wants an accord in Copenhagen that covers all the issues and that has "immediate operational effect." [ID:nLH614547].
* On Wednesday U.S. Senator John Kerry warned that if this week's talks fail, chances for the United States approving its own carbon pollution-reduction plan will seriously erode.
* Clinton made clear the United States expected China to be fully transparent over its CO2 emissions. "It would be hard to imagine, speaking for the United States, that there could be the legal or financial commitment that I've just announced in the absence of transparency from the second biggest emitter, and now the I guess the first biggest."
EUROPEAN UNION (5.03 billion tonnes, 10.2 tonnes per capita)
WHAT THE EU IS OFFERING
* Emissions - EU leaders agreed in December 2008 to cut emissions by 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and by 30 percent if other developed nations follow suit.
* Finance - EU leaders have agreed that developing nations will need about 100 billion euros ($147 billion) a year by 2020 to help them curb emissions and adapt to changes such as floods or heatwaves. Last week, they agreed to provide developing countries with 7.3 billion euros ($10.8 billion in initial aid from 2010-12.
* Britain and France are part of a $3.5 billion scheme in initial financing toward slowing deforestation (see U.S. section above).
WHAT THE EU WANTS
* The EU wants developing nations to curb the rise of their emissions by 15 to 30 percent below a trajectory of "business as usual" by 2020.
RUSSIA (1.7 billion tonnes, 11.9 tonnes per capita)
WHAT RUSSIA IS OFFERING
* Emissions - Cut greenhouse gases by 22-25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. That means a rise from now -- emissions were 34 percent below 1990 levels in 2007.
INDIA (1.4 billion tonnes, 1.2 tonnes per capita)
WHAT INDIA IS OFFERING
* Emissions - India aims to cut its carbon intensity by between 20 and 25 percent by 2020, from 2005 levels, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said on December 3. India will not set a year when emissions will peak.
WHAT INDIA WANTS
* Like China, India wants rich nations to cut emissions by at least 40 percent by 2020 below 1990 levels. But Ramesh signaled room to compromise: "It's a negotiation. We've given a number of 40 percent but one has to be realistic."
JAPAN (1.4 billion tonnes, 11.0 tonnes per capita)
WHAT JAPAN IS OFFERING
* Emissions - Japan will cut emissions by 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 if Copenhagen agrees an ambitious deal.
* Finance - Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told the United Nations that Tokyo would also step up aid.
* On Wednesday Japan said it would raise its support to help developing nations combat global warming to about $15 billion in public and private finance in the three years to 2012.
AFRICAN COUNTRIES (negligible emissions, include some of the countries most hurt by climate change)
WHERE THEY ARE WILLING TO COMPROMISE
* On Wednesday the African group of countries scaled back demands for climate finance from rich countries, meeting proposals made by developed nations and signaling agreement on a core obstacle in U.N. talks.
Addressing talks meant to agree a global climate pact, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi supported $100 billion annual funds by 2020 from developed countries to help the developing world fight climate change and adapt to its impact.
WHAT AFRICA WANTS
Many African nations want developed nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 45 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 as part of a goal of limiting global warming to a maximum of 1.5 Celsius above pre-industrial times.
Note: Greenhouse gas emissions are 2008 data from Germany's Energy industry institute IWR except for the EU, which are from a 2007 submission to United Nations
Population data source: www.cia.gov
