Reuters, Copyright 2000
November 24, 2000
By Margaret Orgill

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Big powers struggled to avert a humiliating breakdown of U.N. climate talks on Friday amid fears that failure by the European Union and United States would result in more flooding and storms for vulnerable poor nations.

As Asian nations battled major deluges, France as president of the 15-nation EU slammed U.S. proposals, saying they would actually lead to a rise in emissions of the greenhouse gases implicated in global warming.

``We are not taking a step in the right direction. We are taking a step backwards,'' said French Environment Minister Dominique Voynet amid last-minute efforts to clinch a deal.

``The EU has to face down the U.S,'' said Bill Hare of environmental group Greenpeace. ``The U.S. thinks the EU will blink, but they have to face them down.''

Roda Verheyen of Friends of the Earth urged: ``Don't eat, don't sleep -- sort this out.''

A chorus of anti-U.S. protest swelled as Thailand, Malaysia, Australia and Sweden battled floods seen by activists as the kind of damage in store if humanity keeps using fossil fuels.

Small States Furious

Those weather woes follow hard on the heels of flooding this year in Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh and eastern India that has killed hundreds of people and left millions homeless.

The conference is trying to agree steps to implement a 1997 pact agreed in Kyoto, Japan, that set a five percent average cut in developed nations' 1990 levels of emissions by 2010.

It also wants to help poor nations avoid becoming big emitters themselves as they develop, for example by adopting clean energy technologies or planting forests to soak up the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.

But to the fury of small island states threatened by rising sea levels, the big players, the EU and Washington, remain deadlocked ahead of a final 24 hours of non-stop negotiations.

``We are fighting for our livelihood and they are fighting about a change in lifestyle,'' said Brian Challenger of Antigua and Barbuda.

In The Hague, activists said Washington would get a free ride on emissions under compromise proposals put forward by talks chairman Jan Pronk of the Netherlands.

``There is some very hard work ahead of us over the next 24 hours if we are to get a deal at this conference,'' said EU Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom, adding Pronk's proposals were seriously imbalanced to the EU's disadvantage.

The EU-U.S. row centers on a U.S. plan to allow developed nations to count carbon dioxide soaked up by forests, so-called carbon sinks, against emissions reduction targets set in Kyoto.

The plans would let developed countries claim credit both for planting such forests at home and for paying developing nations to expand their own forests, although Pronk does not permit this practice to the extent demanded by Washington.

``This proposal is a disaster for forests and biodiversity,'' said the World Wildlife Fund, saying it would encourage clearing of virgin forest and its replacement with monoculture trees.

``Using forests to fight global warming without environment and social safeguards is absolutely unacceptable,'' said Robert Watson of the U.N. Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change, adding this could harm indigenous peoples and the environment.

The top U.N. scientist told Reuters television that failure to act over climate change could result in the uprooting of tens of millions of people from their homes due to rising seas.

Risk Of Disease In Africa

``We could also see increases in malaria and dengue fever in Africa. All countries will be affected to some degree.''

Some experts said if Pronk's ideas were implemented, the effect on emissions of harmful gases would turn out to be a rise of between five and eight percent by 2010, rather than a drop.

Costa Rican President Miguel Angel Rodriguez appealed to the conference for incentives and market mechanisms to reward developing countries for protecting their forests.

He said: ``Without such fair incentives which recognize the environmental benefits of forests in developing countries, many rural communities will be condemned to poverty and subsistence agriculture which will destroy the few forests that are left.''

``Delay in creating such a mechanism will increase deforestation.''

U.S. negotiators said they would reply later to charges that they were bowing to business and farmers to do nothing about climate change that would hit their businesses and jobs.

Washington, backed by Australia, Canada and Japan, says it cannot reach its target without such methods. Error: Unable to read footer file.