Bali: America Refuses to Sign Up to Targets

No surprises here. Its not just the Australians who are refusing to play ball in Bali. The US has said it is unwilling to approve a draft agreement setting firm targets for cuts in carbon dioxide.

The US said a proposal for developed nations to reduce emissions by 25-40% by 2020, which is backed by Britain and the EU, was “totally unrealistic” and “unhelpful”.

The US said it was in Bali to be “constructive” and wanted the meeting to agree a roadmap to a new agreement, which would be concluded by 2009. But it said it would not agree a firm target, presented either as an emissions reduction or as a maximum temperature rise.

Harlan Watson, the senior climate negotiator for the US, said: “We have problems with defining the numbers up front. In our view that pre-judges the outcome of the negotiations over the next two years.”

You could write a book on American excuses for inaction….