Japan says China cuts must be binding

[FarCenter]

By ERIC JOHNSTON - http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20091209a1.html

COPENHAGEN — Japan's pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions continues to hinge on whether China and other major developing economies make legally binding reduction commitments, and Beijing's current negotiating stance does not meet that condition, according to Japanese delegates at the U.N. Climate Change Conference.

"We have to bring China into the fold," a Foreign Ministry official involved with the negotiations said. "They're still on the outside with their insistence their plan to cut emissions per unit of gross domestic product by up to 45 percent by 2020 is voluntary. But it can't be just voluntary,"

The official added Japan continues to have questions about the details of the Chinese pledge, especially whether it is verifiable and measurable, and that it doesn't end up increasing greenhouse gases.

"Well, it's the opening day of the conference, so everybody is just stating their previous positions. The Kyoto Protocol conference in 1997 also went down to the wire and wasn't decided until the last minute. So I would not be surprised if that's the case here," Mitsutoshi Hayakawa, managing director of the Osaka-based NGO Citizens Alliance for Saving the Atmosphere and the Earth, said Monday evening at a news conference sponsored by Kiko Network, a coalition of numerous environmental NGOs.

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