Climate change talks to curb emissions set to begin in Cancun, Mexico

Climate change talks to curb emissions set to begin

Climate change talks in Cancun, Mexico are about to start on Monday, in a fresh bid by countries from all over the world to further the success of the Copenhagen Accord to curb gas emissions. An estimated 194 countries responsible for roughly 80 percent of total global emissions will be represented in discussions beginning Monday through December 10. The disparity of the commitments given by rich, developed countries and those pledged by emerging, developing nations remains a contentious issue, and delegates here seek to create a consensus at the end of the meeting for a unified plan on how to limit dangerous emissions which have caused climate change.

“We are very proud to be the hosts of an unprecedented effort of the international community to stop the global warming caused by humans,” said Mexico’s Foreign Minister Patricio Espinosa in a conference with media this past weekend. He highlighted the urgency of the discussion. “If we do not do it now, it will become not only more costly in terms of finances and human lives, but also the various forces of nature that we will have to adapt to will become more dangerous.”

The Copenhagen Accord had set a cap of a global temperature level of not more than two degrees Celsius. But this objective was cast in doubt when the United Nations drafted a study saying that the promises made last December in Denmark will only be 60 percent effective to keep the temperature limit.

U.N. Environment Program chief Achim Steiner said there is much work to do to achieve the goals on climate change, “but we have to accelerate it and there is still a gap to meet the minimum objectives agreed in Copenhagen.”

Posted by George Daniels on Tuesday November 30 2010, 3:32 AM EST. Ref: CNN. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0