UN resumes climate talks | Bangkok Post: breakingnews

Climate envoys from around the world opened talks Saturday in Panama in a bid to help break the deadlock on key sticking points ahead of a closely watched year-end conference in Durban, South Africa.

The major obstacle is the fate of the landmark Kyoto Protocol, which requires wealthy countries to cut carbon emissions blamed for climate change. Its obligations run out at the end of 2012 with no new treaty in sight.Officials do not expect any firm announcements during the week of UN-led talks in Panama but hope to lay the groundwork for the Durban conference, which opens November 28 and is seen as a last chance to take action on Kyoto.The European Union, the main champion of the Kyoto Protocol, has proposed a new round of commitments under the treaty. Emerging economies such as China _ which is now the largest emitter and has no obligations under Kyoto _ welcome the idea.But no other major economy that would be affected by a Kyoto extension has endorsed the European Union view, with Canada, Japan and Russia all adamantly opposed.Australia and Norway have submitted a joint plan that would set a 2015 deadline for a new climate treaty that involves both developed and developing nations.To avoid any gap in action _ a key fear of environmentalists _ the Australian-Norwegian proposal would ask all nations to chart out climate...