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    December 12, 2011

China Welcomes UN Climate Deal

   Peter Simpson | Beijing
   Xie Zhenhua, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform
   Commission and China's lead climate official walks out of the
   negotiation room as the climate change summit nears it's end in Durban,
   South Africa, December 10, 2011
   Photo: AP
   Xie Zhenhua, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform
   Commission and China's lead climate official walks out of the
   negotiation room as the climate change summit nears it's end in Durban,
   South Africa, December 10, 2011

   China says the [1]U.N. climate talks in Durban, South Africa made
   positive steps towards tackling global warming.
   Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin says Beijing was
   satisfied with the breakthrough agreement that will see all 194
   countries sign a legally enforceable deal that will come into effect by
   2020.
   Liu says China is ready to join other countries to take concrete
   actions to fight global warming. But he says Beijing wants developed
   countries to stand by their commitments.
   He says they must deliver financial help and transfer their green
   technologies to help developing nations fight climate change.
   The two-week, round-the-clock climate talks in South Africa ended with
   an agreement that will bind all big polluters, including major emerging
   economies such as China and India, to slash emissions from the year
   2020.
   In previous talks, countries failed to agree on a binding legal deal to
   cut emissions among developed nations and fast-growing ones such as
   China and India.
   But critics say the so-called Durban Platform does not go far enough.
   Environment groups and poor nations most at risk from global warming
   fear countries like China and the United States will seek to exploit
   loopholes because the wording of the deal is ambiguous. There is also
   no mention of penalties if nations fail to meet emission targets.
   And there is mounting concern that the 2020 deadline is too late to
   stop a damaging rise in global temperatures that could swell oceans,
   inundating low-lying cities.
   Environmental groups such as Green Peace and the World Wildlife Fund
   say the talks lacked the required urgency and the deal was watered down
   to reach an agreement.
   International Energy Agency Chief Economist Fatih Birol says the most
   important thing now is for all countries to adhere to the law agreed at
   the talks, warning the world will suffer if they fail to act.
   "China is introducing a carbon price in seven provinces on a
   experimental basis," noted Birol. "These are good steps in the right
   direction. But when we look at the entire picture, the picture I tried
   to show you, if the other countries do not follow these good examples,
   we may well say goodbye to the human beings' expressions to limit
   temperature increase to two degrees Celsius forever. So, this will be
   definitely a pity."
   The Durban talks also saw the adoption of a Green Climate Fund aimed at
   raising $100 billion to help poor countries develop clean energy and
   adapt to the challenges from climate change.

References

   1. http://www.cop17-cmp7durban.com/

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