Canada says China should agree to binding climate target

By Gerard Wynn

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (Reuters) - The fight against global warming will only work if big developing countries took on legally binding targets, Canada's environment minister said on Wednesday, underlining a major split at climate talks in Bali.

About 190 nations are meeting in a luxury Indonesian beach resort from December 3-14 to try to launch two-year negotiations on a new global climate change deal to replace or extend the Kyoto Protocol from 2013.

"If we want to take a voluntary approach for 70 percent of the world's emissions I think that's just a non-starter, it doesn't work," said John Baird, referring to major emitting nations, including big developing countries.

He told Reuters that China and India should act now to rein in their soaring greenhouse gas emissions.

Rich countries, which historically have produced the bulk of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming, are under pressure from the developing world to first commit to deep emissions cuts before asking poorer nations to follow suit.

But emissions in many developing countries are rising quickly as they try to lift millions out of poverty.

China, for example, is poised to overtake the United States as the world's number one carbon emitter, but has produced far less of the greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere, and is worried limits on fossil fuel use will harm the poor.

India is the world's no. 4 emitter of greenhouse gases that threaten to cause rising seas, more severe floods, droughts, famines and extinctions of wildlife.

The United States refuses to ratify the Kyoto Protocol because it exempts developing nations from binding emissions curbs in its first phase that ends in 2012.

Baird rejected any mention in a final Bali statement later this week of emissions reduction targets that did not refer to a global effort, dismissing goals just for industrialized nations.

Asked whether it would be alright for China to take on voluntary targets, he said: "People told me voluntary targets don't work for the developed world. If someone can explain to me how they work in the other world, I'm open to hear the argument."

SHIFTING THE PROBLEM

Baird argued that if only rich countries accepted emissions targets that would simply shift emissions somewhere else in the world, rather than cut overall global levels.

"We can close a steel mill today in Canada. But if we just import the steel from China what will we have accomplished? Absolutely nothing."

Baird repeated Canada's position that its present targets under the Kyoto Protocol were "unattainable", a failing he blamed on the preceding Liberal Party administration.