US Urges China To Avoid "Stillborn" Climate Pact, Hedges On Odds Of Success In Mexico

[hatrack]

The United States on Tuesday pressed China, India and other emerging powers to make clearer commitments to fighting climate change, warning that last year's Copenhagen accord risked being "stillborn."

The 194-nation UN-led summit in the Danish capital pledged to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) along with billions of dollars in financing. It gave countries until January 31 to sign on.

EDIT

"I do believe that they will sign on to the accord because the consequences of not doing so are so serious -- in a word, leaving the accord stillborn, contrary to the clear assent their leaders gave to the accord in Copenhagen," Stern said at the Center for American Progress, a Washington think-tank. The Copenhagen summit in December worked on a framework for fighting climate change after 2012, when developed nations' commitments to curb carbon emissions blamed for global warming run out under the landmark Kyoto Protocol.

Stern refused to predict whether a full-fledged successor to Kyoto would be ready in time for the next major meeting in December in Cancun , Mexico. "I hope that we can get to a full legal treaty in December, but I'm not going to make any predictions one way or the other," he said. "I'm also not going to fall into the trap of saying if it's not that, we've got a failure."
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/US_warns_China_against_stillborn_climate_deal_999.html

EDIT

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/US_warns_China_against_stillborn_climate_deal_999.html

[GliderGuider]

1. Meh. Stillbirths are a part of nature.

Just like global warming.