Barcelona

Reporting from Barcelona, Spain

As nations ratcheted up pressure on the United States to deliver a concrete mid-term CO2 reduction target in Copenhagen, the U.S. climate envoy said Friday that hard figures are already in play in Congress — and they beat those of Europe.

"We recognize that others are seeking numbers from us," said Jonathon Pershing, U.S. deputy special envoy for climate change, on the last day of the international climate change talks in Barcelona. But "it is not clear that countries actually need a great deal more information."

The numbers are there. The two leading climate bills in the U.S. Congress propose reductions of 17 percent and 20 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 — equivalent to cuts of 4 percent to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.

"If we take a look at the difference between what the U.S. is proposing to do, which going forward under either bill is either a 17 or 20 percent reduction below current levels, and compare it to those of other countries, say in Europe, we are more aggressive," Pershing said.

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Reporting from Barcelona, Spain

The United States must deliver concrete mid-term greenhouse gas reduction targets by next month or it will destroy efforts to achieve a framework for a global climate change deal in Copenhagen, United Nations climate chief Yvo de Boer said Monday as a week of international talks on global warming began in Barcelona.

"I do not think the international community will accept an agreement that lacks clarity from the U.S. on targets," de Boer said.

The Barcelona talks are the final five days of two years of global negotiations leading up to the crucial UN Climate Change Conference, from Dec. 7-18, in Copenhagen. De Boer's worst fear now is that the Copenhagen conference will end with a lack of clarity on key issues and lead to a protracted political standoff.

"Negotiations must stop at Copenhagen. Otherwise negotiations will drag on when only the technical work should be going on," he said.

A decision by the Obama administration to put a concrete 2020 target on the table could be the game changer for the world, he suggested.