China calls for progress on climate change pact

ECONOMIC problems in Europe and elsewhere should not get in the way of a new pact to fight global warming, China's top climate official said yesterday ahead of major climate talks in South Africa.

Delegates from nearly 200 countries meet from next Monday to December 9 in Durban as part of marathon United Nations-led negotiations on a broader pact to curb growing greenhouse gas emissions as the world faces rising sea levels and greater weather extremes.

"After the financial crisis, every country has had its problems, but these problems are just temporary," Xie Zhenhua, vice-director of the National Development and Reform Commission, told reporters in Beijing.

Chinese officials have suggested economic turmoil in Europe and political unrest in North Africa had pushed climate change far down the list of global priorities, overshadowing the talks and undermining plans to provide cash and technical support to poor nations to adapt to climate change.

"Climate change isn't unimportant at this stage, but it isn't so salient, and I think it will again draw the attention of the global community in 2015 after the (new round of) scientific assessments are carried out," said Xie, referring to a review of nations' emissions reduction pledges and a major 2013-14 report by the UN climate panel.

At the last round of negotiations in Cancun in 2010, all sides agreed on US$30 billion in fast-start funding to help poorer countries adapt to the impact of rising temperatures and changing weather patterns up to 2012, with plans to increase the amount to US$100 billion a year by 2020.

Xie said that the US$30 billion commitment was now unlikely to be met, but expressed hope that mechanisms for a green climate fund could still be established at Durban.

"We understand the difficulties facing Western countries, but the problem we are talking about now is a long-term financing mechanism while the economic problems are temporary," Xie said.

Environmental groups have said time is quickl! y runnin g out if the world is to stay below a 2 degrees Celsius temperature rise.

The World Meteorological Organization said on Monday that carbon dioxide levels rose to 389 parts per million last year, an annual rise of 2.3ppm and edging closer to the 450ppm level that could precipitate two degrees of warming.

Xie reiterated China's support for an extension to the Kyoto Protocol beyond its first "commitment period" ending in 2012, despite opposition from a number of developed countries. Kyoto sets emissions caps on about 40 rich nations.

"How to solve this problem is actually a very central, very key problem at the Durban meeting," said Xie.

China has pledged to reduce CO2 intensity - the amount per unit of GDP - by 40-45 percent from 2005 to 2020. Xie said China would also implement energy savings equivalent to 670 million tons of standard coal and impose an "appropriate" cap on aggregate energy use over 2011-2015.

Xie said China was still hoping to break the deadlock between rich and poor countries by urging industrialized nations unwilling to sign up to the Kyoto Protocol to make comparable efforts to reduce their emissions. It is also calling on poorer nations to make cuts in exchange for technological and financial support, Xie said.