UN climate meet hammers out draft reference to Kyoto pact
Date: 04-Nov-02
Country: INDIA
"Parties that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol should strongly urge parties that have not already done so to ratify the Kyoto Protocol in a timely manner," the revised draft cited as one of many steps needed to deal with climate change.
On Monday the European Union had slammed the draft, called the "Delhi Declaration", for not mentioning the Kyoto accord, saying it was not strong enough.
The 1997 Kyoto pact aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions from the developed world by 2012 to 5.2 percent below 1990 levels. But the United States, the world's biggest polluter, has refused to ratify the pact, saying it would hurt its economy.
To take effect, the protocol must be ratified by enough industrialized countries to account for at least 55 percent of the developed world's 1990 carbon emissions.
Some of the 185 nations participating in the convention in the Indian capital saw the absence of a reference to the Kyoto pact as being due to U.S. pressure.
Environment Minister T.R. Baalu, who presided over the conference, said the conference would discuss the revised draft later on Thursday before it is adopted this week.
