BEIJING — Senior Chinese officials said on Tuesday that next week’s climate talks in Cancun, Mexico, would succeed only if the West agreed to transfer technology to developing countries like China and to take the lead in cutting emissions.
The comments by one of China’s senior officials in charge of climate issues, Xie Zhenhua of the powerful National Development and Reform Commission, were mirrored by two other senior Chinese climate officials who earlier this week published a report saying China was willing to make concessions — if developed nations put money into a $30 billion fund aimed at helping poor nations cope with global warming.
Western countries pledged to set up such a fund but details have yet to be worked out. Mr. Xie said it would be the key to securing a deal to the 1997 Kyoto treaty, which is due to expire in 2012.
The positions reflect a long-standing view by developing countries, led by China, that they are largely not responsible for climate change — which they say was caused by decades of western pollution — and thus should not play a leading role in reversing it. Stated forcefully by China’s chief climate officials, the comments reemphasized the challenge facing negotiators in Cancun as they try to reconcile the positions of the two camps.
Read more at the New York Times
Recent Comments