Tough climate roadmap begins

It was undoubtedly one of the most complex and global conferences: the meeting last month in Bali to tackle greenhouse gas emissions lived up to its billing with moments of high drama. Representatives of 190 countries had gathered to map out future plans to tackle global warming, with the US delegation finally agreeing to join in the process at the thirteenth hour (see Hard bargaining, this issue R44–R45). The world's nations have agreed a 'roadmap' towards limiting greenhouse gas emissions after 2012, when the current agreement reached in Kyoto expires. The eventual deal was hailed as 'an historic agreement by Britain's environment secretary, Hilary Benn. He said: " We have opened the doorway through which the whole of the world will step. The next two years will flow from that, but there's a strong commitment. " The UN secretary-general said: This is the beginning, not the end; we will have to engage in more complex, long and difficult negotiations. " His intervention came as the strain was showing on many delegates. But many delegates and observers believed that the commitments are far too weak in the face of growing evidence of climate change. " We are very concerned that there is so little progress, " said Kete Ioane, environment minister of the Pacific News focus Cook Islands. " We are merely asking for our survival: nothing more, nothing less. " Angus Friday, Grenada's ambassador to the UN and chair of the Alliance of Small Islands, many of which may be flooded as sea levels rise, said: " We are ending up with something so watered down there was no need for 12,000 people to gather here in Bali. We could have done it by email. " Much concern focused on the US which had objected to two proposals. One was the EU's suggestion to include a specific demand for industrial nations to cut emissions to 25–40 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020, which scientists have said are necessary to reduce the risks of damaging climate change. The other was to have no specific commitment from developing The relief at an agreement towards tackling global warming at last month's overrunning talks in Bali marks the start of even more difficult negotiations. Tropical threats: Coastal environments like this in Bali are one of the most vulnerable to climate change.