General News
11/27/2009 2:09 AM ET
(RTTNews) -
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has welcomed the new U.S. and Chinese proposals on combating global warming, calling them as "extremely encouraging" in making the Copenhagen Climate-Change summit a success.
Addressing a press conference following a one-day climate-change meeting in Brazil's northwestern city of Manaus, Sarkozy praised President Barack Obama's "courage" for setting goals that would reduce U.S. carbon emissions by 17 per cent by 2020.
China's State Council announced Thursday an ambitious policy statement that calls for a 40 to 45 per cent reduction in intensity of carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) by the year 2020 compared with the level of 2005.
"The latest statements by Barack Obama and China's leaders are extremely encouraging in making Copenhagen a success," said Sarkozy, who is attending the meeting of officials from nations that straddle the Amazon river basin because France's overseas department of French Guiana is in the region.
The meeting, attended by leaders and representatives from Brazil, France, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Bolivia and Guyana, aims to adopt tough measures to combat global warming and preserve rainforests, ahead of the December 7-18 U.N. climate change conference in the Danish capital Copenhagen.
In a declaration released after the summit, participating countries called on all developed countries "to implement significant emission reductions, according to their historical responsibilities."
They also reaffirmed their "commitment to the principles and provisions of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol, particularly the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities."
The statement also called on developed countries, including those that have not signed the Kyoto Protocol, to implement their commitments to environmental protection.
by RTT Staff Writer
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