apec rejects carbon reduction targets

By Linda Mottram in Singapore for ABC Online
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is jointly hosting a climate change breakfast on the sidelines of APEC in Singapore, though the Pacific rim leaders have watered down climate change targets in their final statement.

Climate change has been the big new issue on the usually trade-centred agenda of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) grouping.

But Chinese officials have confirmed that a plan to include an emissions reduction target of 50 per cent in this year's leaders' statement has been scrapped.

One official said a group of developed countries was the obstacle. Instead, the statement is likely to call for "substantial" emissions cuts.

APEC nations emit 60 per cent of greenhouse gas pollution.

News of the backdown came as Kevin Rudd was to host a climate change breakfast on the sidelines of the summit.

He has also discussed the issue in a range of bilateral meetings, holding talks with the leaders of Mexico, Malaysia and South Korea, while further informal talks could include Indonesia's Prime Minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The APEC meeting in Singapore is the last major gathering of global decision-makers before the UN climate summit in Copenhagen in three weeks, which is meant to ramp up efforts to fight climate change.

Yi Xianliang from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who is negotiating in the climate talks, says the 50 per cent reduction did appear in the draft statement, but it was very controversial.

He says the decision to remove the target was a collective decision.

Dave R.