Europe pledges strict emissions cut to tempt China and India into climate deal

European climate chiefs to pledge 85-90% emissions cut by 2050 in exchange for 15-30% reduction by developing countries
David Adam
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday December 10 2008 11.16 GMT

European officials have offered to make the continent virtually zero-carbon in an attempt to lure China and other developing countries into a new global climate deal to replace the Kyoto protocol.
Stavros Dimas, European commissioner for the environment, told the Guardian that the EU could aim for a 80-95% reduction in greenhouse gas pollution by 2050 in exchange for greater efforts by developing nations to limit their emissions.
Dimas said the pledge has "already been put on the table" and that he was awaiting responses. In return, Europe would ask developing countries to reduce their forecasted carbon pollution growth by 15-30% over the next decade. "We haven't got any reaction, so they're floating somewhere," he said.

His comments came as ministers are due to arrive at UN climate talks in Poznan, Poland, which aim to set the stage for countries to agree a new global deal on global warming to succeed the Kyoto protocol.
They also come as European officials fight to agree a series of measures to cut carbon emissions across the continent 20-30% by 2020. Poland and Italy have complained about the cost of the package, which must be agreed by Gordon Brown and other European leaders in Brussels on Friday.
Dimas said "lots of concerns" had been expressed by member states, but that he was confident the targets would be approved. A failure or significant watering down of the proposals would weaken Europe's bargaining power in the negotiations over a new global deal, which officials aim to agree at a meeting in Copenhagen this time next year. "It is only logical to expect discussions, but we will find a solution," said Dimas.
He said the suggested European 80-95% cut for 2050 would be calculated on 1990 levels, and would include all sectors of the European economy, including the aviation and shipping industries. It is intended to maintain the EU position of limiting global temperature rise to 2°C.
"We follow up what the scientists tell us and we select [our target] accordingly, to not put our world at risk of irreversible damage," he said. "This is the reason we are changing the long-term target."
Dimas said the 80-95% cut was "still being discussed with the scientists" and would be published in a position paper next month. "I don't want to scare, not only the developing countries but also the developed. We should do it in a smooth way." The pledge would force the UK government to reassess its new Climate Change Act, which aims for 80% carbon cuts by 2050.
Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and director of the Energy and Resources Institute in Delhi, said the 2050 European pledge was unlikely to impress developing countries, who wanted more action from all rich countries in the short-term. He said: "Unless the developed world comes up with strong, clear targets for 2020 themselves, I think it is unlikely the developing world will commit itself to reductions."
He said rich countries including the US needed to agree targets of 25-40% by 2020. "I think the most important development that could take place is for the US to make a major commitment. The extent to which the US is prepared to go is fundamental in creating the right atmosphere."
British officials are confident that President-elect, Barack Obama, will commit the US to such targets next year. They expect the negotiations on a Copenhagen deal to make little progress until then.
Henry Derwent, former UK chief climate negotiator and now head of the International Emissions Trading Association, said: "I cannot conceive of this problem being solved without a positive and well-intentioned US president, but he has domestic problems to resolve. I can't imagine that [Obama] as president will be driven by what the international community expects him to do."