APEC draft climate statement a compromise

Members of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) agreed to a draft climate statement, which reaffirms a U.N. treaty on fighting global warming, while urging non-binding “aspirational targets” for greenhouse gas reductions. But the climate statement, which has emerged after tough negotiations following a split between APECs developing and developed member-countries remains to be agreed to by the 21 Asia-Pacific leaders. “Its a compromise statement,” an Asian delegate at the APEC Sydney forum said, adding it reaffirms the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and backs “aspirational targets”, proposed by Australia. Developing economies, including China, are strongly opposed to any wording that commits them to binding targets. (September 7, 2007)