U.S. pushes for emissions cuts from China, developing nations

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/09/AR2009120904596.html

U.S. pushes for emissions cuts from China, developing nations

By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 10, 2009

COPENHAGEN -- Two top Obama administration officials arrived Wednesday at the U.N.-sponsored climate talks that opened this week offering both diplomacy and a tough line: The United States is willing to be a full partner in fighting climate change, but the real problem is with China and the developing world.

The day began with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson detailing the many measures President Obama has taken to cut greenhouse gases in the United States, telling a packed audience at the U.S. pavilion in the Bella Center, "We are seeking robust engagement with all of our partners around the world."

But two hours later, the U.S. special envoy for climate change, Todd Stern, made clear that the United States sees carbon reductions by China and other major developing countries as "a core part of this negotiation."

"Emissions are emissions. You've just got to do the math," Stern told reporters, citing estimates that 97 percent of future emissions growth will come from the developing world. "If you care about the science, and we do, there is no way to solve this problem by giving the major developing countries a pass."

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[joshcryer]

1. Saw this coming a mile a way.

The US has to cut its emissions dramatically and make import-based emissions costly, so that the rest of the world has to follow suite.