Rich, poor nations wrangle on global warming

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Rich and poor nations wrangled on Thursday about how to widen a fight against global warming beyond 2012 to salvage U.N. talks on combating what many delegates call one of the biggest threats to life on the planet.
About 70 environment ministers at the November 6-17 meeting have agreed steps to help Africa and other poor nations cope with feared impacts such as drought and floods. But they are deeply divided on how to extend the Kyoto Protocol for curbing warming.
"Sometimes it's not easy to solve problems among the three parties in government (in Germany)," German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel said. "Here you have 189 (nations) and it's difficult to find solutions."
At the talks, many rich nations are pushing for a detailed review of the Kyoto Protocol, which sets caps on emissions of greenhouse gases by 35 industrial nations, before taking on tougher targets beyond 2012, when current targets expire.
"It's not realistic to finalize such a comprehensive review here in Nairobi. We must agree here in Nairobi about how to fix a time line," said Finnish Environment Minister Jan-Erik Enestam, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency.
Some poorer nations fear that any deep review will be a way to lure them into making expensive commitments themselves.
A statement by African states said as far as they were concerned the review of Kyoto, set for the Nairobi talks under the text of the deal agreed in 1997, had "taken place".
Poorer states say rich nations should concentrate on setting new, tougher targets for themselves beyond 2012 to cut emissions of heat-trapping gases, mainly from burning fossil fuels in power plants, factories and cars. Continued...
© Reuters 2006