. 24/7 Space News .
Talks on greenhouse gases stalled
  • Parisians brace for flooding risks as Seine creeps higher
  • Volcanos, earthquakes: Is the 'Ring of Fire' alight?
  • Finland's president Niinisto on course for second term
  • Record rain across soggy France keeps Seine rising
  • Record rain across sodden France keeps Seine rising
  • State of emergency as floods worry Paraguay capital
  • Panic and blame as Cape Town braces for water shut-off
  • Fresh tremors halt search ops after Japan volcano eruption
  • Cape Town now faces dry taps by April 12
  • Powerful quake hits off Alaska, but tsunami threat lifted
  • BUENOS AIRES (AFP) Dec 17, 2004
    Talks on measures to reduce harmful greenhouse gases were stalled early Friday, just hours before a UN conference on the implementation of Kyoto accords was scheduled to close, diplomats said.

    A 20-nation working group created to sort out differences mainly between European nations and the United States adjourned at 0400 GMT without reaching agreement.

    The European Union wants talks to start next year on strengthening the international fight against climate change over the next decade.

    It is calling for several informal meetings next year that would include the United States.

    But the US representative at the conference, Paula Dobriansky, indicated Washington was only prepared to hold one meeting early in 2005 that would be an "exchange of information" on the environment policies of different countries.

    Official talks on measures to follow the Kyoto protocol, which runs until 2012, are to start in November next year.

    The United States has refused to ratify the Kyoto protocol on cutting emissions of six key gases, which comes into effect in February, and Dobriansky, the under secretary of state for global affairs, said the European proposal was "premature".

    Europe, backed by many leading emerging nations such as China, believe that any post-Kyoto accord would have no meaning without the United States, which is the source of 23 percent of the world's greenhouse gases.

    China is next with 13 percent. But with their fast economic growth, Brazil, China and India are becoming major carbon dioxide producers. China has said however that it will not agree to any measures that harms its economic growth.




    All rights reserved. copyright 2018 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.