U.S. pledges something or other on climate 1

Details aren’t in focus in this climate doc.Photo: circulating via FlickrToday U.S. negotiators promised “ambitious actions,” “robust targets,” and pretty much nada details in a proposal overdue to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The paper suggests a structure for the international climate treaty to be hashed out in Copenhagen this December—something the UNFCC had requested from participating nations by April 24, a deadline many countries missed.

“The United States supports a Copenhagen agreed outcome that recognizes the magnitude and seriousness of what science demands … is pragmatic, and recognizes the diversity of countries’ circumstances and opportunities,” the proposal said.

In the Financing section, the U.S. acknowledged public and private cash will be required to help developing nations deal with floods and other effects of climate change.

“The U.S. is keenly aware of the need for a dramatic increase in the flow of resources available to developing countries to catalyze both mitigation and adaptation actions at a scale that will be necessary to address the climate challenge,” it said.

The paper also suggests countries should set mid-term emissions reductions targets for 2020 and long-term targets for 2050. Beyond that, the proposal is vague, which seems to be what the UNFCCC called for at this stage. It abounds with bracketed provisions to be filled in later, as in:

[provisions to enable transparency and appropriate participation of the Parties]

And:

Having a shared vision of [summary that ties together the elements of the agreement],

If I have one scintillating, profound observation to add, it’s that [awesome observation that ties together the whole post].

Care to read the proposal yourself? Have at it [PDF].

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