U.S. opposes U.N. emissions-cutting plan
The Bush administration opposed a draft proposal calling on developed countries to make binding emission cuts of 25-40 percent by 2020 presented by the United Nations at the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bali, Indonesia, Bloomberg reported.
U.S. climate negotiator Harlan Watson said having specific numbers in the text was the primary concern. The U.S. position puts it at odds with the U.N. and the European Union, which support mandatory caps to curb global warming. Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, said earlier today he hopes the reduction goals remain in the text, which senior government officials from almost 200 countries will begin debating later this week.
E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. also participated in the convention. Innovations will be essential to increasing the energy efficiency of buildings and transportation to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, DuPont’s Greater China President Doug Muzyka told participants.
“In the growing world economy, energy demand remains high and will continue to increase, particularly in countries with rapidly developing economies,” Muzyka said. “At the same time, as a global community, we know that critical environmental challenges such as climate change must be addressed. DuPont is focused on delivering low-carbon solutions to the marketplace in order to help our value chains improve their energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”