US envoy hits China's stand in UN climate talks
DOHA, Qatar (AP) â” The top U.S. envoy to U.N. climate talks is challenging China’s demand for favorable treatment in carbon emissions, rejecting the current division between rich and poor countries for a future treaty.
In his first remarks at the climate talks in Doha, Qatar, Todd Stern said Monday the planned agreement, set to be adopted in 2015, must be based on “real-world” considerations, not “an ideology that says we’re going to draw a line down the middle of the world.”
Beijing wants to keep a division between developed and developing nations, setting out different responsibilities to cut emissions. China notes that despite its roaring growth, millions of Chinese still live in poverty, and emission limits would limit its economic expansion.
Stern acknowledged it would be “enormously challenging” to resolve that dispute.