Throughout the world, the ice is melting, Himalayan glaciers are retreating, and the water levels are going up. The climate is changing drastically. Green house gases are to be blamed for all this. Keeping all these things in mind, the UN asked the richer nations to stick to the goals of dropping the greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2020.
Ironically, U.S. negotiator Harlan Watson asked the nations to draft a plant so that the richer economies can cut down the greenhouse gas emission percentage by as much as 25 to 40 percent below 1990 levels. The deadline is 2020. The UN wants as many as 10,000 folks participating during the upcoming climate change talks. Basically, it wants participation from all levels of govt. agencies.
With the Kyoto Protocol expiring pretty soon and the US backing away from any kind of environmental negotiations the U.N. seems to be worried regarding the greenhouse gas emissions produced by fossil fuels. So, the U.N. is trying to come up with a new plan which is supposed to widen the scope of the Kyoto protocol.
Washington and Tokyo argued strongly against emission cuts in a draft text, which lays out the ground for future negotiations. Basically, according to the new plan of action, the UN expects richer economies to cut down gas emissions by 2020. I am not sure how this target will be achieved specially with US bailing.
Image: Ifenergy