New global climate plan to rope in US
Britain is close to persuading USA to accept the plan to bring the world's greatest polluting countries into an international partnership to fight climate change in near future. The plan would involve setting up a network of carbon-trading schemes and is one of five main proposals drawn up by the Germans and British ahead of the G8 summit next month.
The concept of an international agreement involving the G8 industrialised nations, and some of the poorest but most polluting countries such as India and China, was first mooted by PM Blair at the G8 summit in Gleneagles in 2005.
Britain feels they are now close to securing an outline agreement for the summit scheduled in June 07 in Heiligendamm, Germany. Britain is trying to reach an agreement before the expiry of term of US President George Bush. Britain's PM Blair is likey to discuss this issue with the US President in his last official visit to US.
Apart from the trading schemes, UK in the G-8 meeting is likely to take up matter regarding agreement to stabilise the world temperature rise above pre-industrial levels at no more than two degrees Celsius, or cut world greenhouse-gas emissions by 50% below 1990 levels by 2050, and an agreement to give companies and countries new technology "rewards" if they stop cutting down forests. New initiatives in the area of energy efficiency, similar to the scheme of EU to cut carbon-dioxide emissions by 20% by 2020 using simple techniques, such as energy-efficient lighting like CFLs and green cities.
In the new proposed plan, China and India would not face binding targets. instead they would be allowed to continue to pursue their impressive economic growth in exchange for a commitment to establish national cap and trade schemes to cover some of their most polluting industries e.g. metals processing and cement industry.
Also proposed are binding targets and penalties for non-compliance to cover carbon pollution in developed countries, including the USA and Australia, who had so far not signed the Kyoto protocol.
China, India, South Africa, Brazil and Mexico are most important countries who will be required to participate actively for success of the new programme. Some of the EU members feel that temperatures could be stabilised at two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, but the developing countries feel; that if they agree, it will amount to imposing binding targets on them.
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