Doha: US failing to cut carbon emissions fast enough

The Telegraph , Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Correspondent :
Almost 200 countries are gathered in the gas-rich Middle Eastern state to work towards a new international treaty to stop global warming.

The re-election of President Obama has led to high hopes the US would lead the way on cutting carbon.

On the first day of the conference Jonathan Pershing, the head of the US negotiating team, insisted the US is doing an “enormous amount”.

But a study by PBL, the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, found that the US is unlikely to meet its pledge to cut carbon emissions by 17 per cent on 2005 levels by 2020. Canada will fail to meet the same target.

Although the switch from coal to shale gas and economic downturn had led to a fall in emissions, the US is still “locked in” to building inefficient cars and burning fossil fuels in ‘dirty’ power stations.

The report said more needed to be done to improve energy efficiency in buildings and new cars and to limit emissions from power stations.

“The USA’s expected emissions for 2020 are lower than expected previously due to economic decline, low gas prices and implementation of some policies, but the projected emission level by 2020 is still likely to be higher than what is needed to achieve the pledge,” read the report.

In comparison China is likely to “achieve or overachieve” its target to cut ‘carbon intensity’ (emissions per unit of GDP) by 40 to 45 per cent by 2020 on 2005 levels.

The report said China would make most of its savings by increasing non-fossil energy to 15 per cent in 2020, and increasing forest coverage by 40 million hectares.

Even though China is meeting its target, analysts predict emissions will rise until around 2030 – when the country's urbanisation peaks, and its population growth slows – and then begin to fall.

Ruth Davis of Greenpeace said US citizens will be disappointed that their Government is not taking stronger action on the domestic or international stage.

“Many US citizens rocked by a year of extreme weather, capped off by superstorm Sandy, will find it unacceptable that their Government is not taking stronger action on climate change.”

She warned that the international community will also be angry if the US block efforts to move towards a legally binding global treaty that insists on tightening up cuts in emissions further.

“The US needs to either get out of the way, or work towards an ambitious and binding global agreement on climate change.”

At the last climate change meeting in Durban, South Africa, the UN agreed to draw up a global treaty by 2015 that will commit the world to make cuts in carbon from 2020.

In the meantime the EU and a handful of other countries will continue to cut carbon under the Kyoto Protocol.

 
SOURCE : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/9704337/Doha-US-failing-to-cut-carbon-emissions-fast-enough.html
 


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