Many issues remained unresolved Thursday at the UN climate talks in Cancun, Mexico, as negotiators sought compromises on the penultimate day of the meeting to avoid the specter of a second setback following last year's failed talks in Copenhagen.
Expectations are much lower for Cancun than were for Copenhagen, where the initial goal was a legally binding agreement to reduce emissions and results fell well short of that.
The goal in Cancun is to reach decisions on key issues in order to build confidence in the process shaken in Copenhagen and possibly lead to a legally binding accord at next year's climate summit in Durban, South Africa.
However, negotiators in Copenhagen and Cancun are dealing with the same basic issues and Jeremy Hobbs, executive director for Oxfam International, told a press briefing webcast from Cancun there was "a risk too many important decisions will be pushed down the road."
Negotiations are expected to continue well into Thursday evening. However, the history of these climate summits is that they invariably run hours beyond their scheduled conclusion before a final decision is taken.
Meena Raman, with Friends of the Earth International, told a webcast press briefing the main unresolved issues include "anchoring" the non-binding emission reduction pledges made in Copenhagen in a binding agreement.
Developing countries want developed countries to anchor their pledges in a second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol, with the US, which is not a party to the Protocol, pledging its commitments under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Industrial countries want their commitments, as well as those from developing countries, under a single agreement that would succeed the Kyoto Protocol.
Nor is there an agreement yet on closing the 40% emissions gap between what was pledged in Copenhagen and what scientists contend is necessary to limit warming to 2 degrees Celsius in order avoid severe global warming.
Other issues include a transparent mechanism to measure and verify emission reductions, a new fund to help developing countries combat climate change, protection of tropical forest and a mechanism to share clean technologies.
Expectations are much lower for Cancun than were for Copenhagen, where the initial goal was a legally binding agreement to reduce emissions and results fell well short of that.
The goal in Cancun is to reach decisions on key issues in order to build confidence in the process shaken in Copenhagen and possibly lead to a legally binding accord at next year's climate summit in Durban, South Africa.
However, negotiators in Copenhagen and Cancun are dealing with the same basic issues and Jeremy Hobbs, executive director for Oxfam International, told a press briefing webcast from Cancun there was "a risk too many important decisions will be pushed down the road."
Negotiations are expected to continue well into Thursday evening. However, the history of these climate summits is that they invariably run hours beyond their scheduled conclusion before a final decision is taken.
Meena Raman, with Friends of the Earth International, told a webcast press briefing the main unresolved issues include "anchoring" the non-binding emission reduction pledges made in Copenhagen in a binding agreement.
Developing countries want developed countries to anchor their pledges in a second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol, with the US, which is not a party to the Protocol, pledging its commitments under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Industrial countries want their commitments, as well as those from developing countries, under a single agreement that would succeed the Kyoto Protocol.
Nor is there an agreement yet on closing the 40% emissions gap between what was pledged in Copenhagen and what scientists contend is necessary to limit warming to 2 degrees Celsius in order avoid severe global warming.
Other issues include a transparent mechanism to measure and verify emission reductions, a new fund to help developing countries combat climate change, protection of tropical forest and a mechanism to share clean technologies.
