Asian leaders voice hope in climate deal
Asian nations on Sunday welcomed the provisional climate change deal
struck by the major powers at the UN summit in Copenhagen, saying it
paved the way toward consensus on carbon emissions cuts.
The Copenhagen Accord, passed Saturday after two weeks of frantic
negotiations, was condemned elsewhere as a backdoor deal that violated
UN democracy, excluded the poor and doomed the world to disastrous
climate change.
But governments from China to Indonesia spoke of "significant and
positive results," "a direction for negotiations" and satisfaction over
a conclusion that addressed their concerns. China welcomed the outcome
of the talks, despite leaders at the summit failing to set targets to
cut the carbon emissions blamed for global warming.
"With the efforts of all parties, the summit yielded significant and
positive results," Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi was quoted as saying in
a statement on the ministry's website.
Yang, who never specifically mentioned the accord, said the summit
had successfully maintained the principle of "common but differentiated
responsibility," which recognises differing economic circumstances
between emerging and rich nations. China, the world's biggest carbon
polluter, has always said rich countries should take the lead in
committing to substantial emission reduction targets and provide finance
to developing countries battling climate change.
The Copenhagen Accord set a goal of "jointly mobilising" 100 billion
dollars for developing nations by 2020. China has pledged to reduce
carbon emissions per unit of gross domestic product by 40 to 45 percent
by 2020 based on 2005 levels.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said in a statement on
his website: "Indonesia is pleased, as (we have) taken a wholehearted
stance to save our Earth, to save the children in our country." With the
deal, "there is a direction for negotiations in the middle of 2010 in
Germany," Yudhoyono said, without elaborating.
Germany will host a conference on climate change in six months in
Bonn to follow up the work of the Copenhagen summit. The final outcome
will be sealed at a conference in Mexico City at the end of 2010.
Indonesia is the world's third-largest emitter of carbon dioxide blamed
for global warming, after China and the United States, if the effects of
deforestation are taken into account.
AFP |
