Leaders of the 21-member Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) dropped the reference to greenhouse gas emissions cuts from their declaration released Sunday, reports Reuters.
Instead of aiming to negotiate binding cuts at next month’s climate talks in Copenhagen, political leaders will seek a political framework to take future action on climate change.
Leaders at the APEC summit did voice support for including forest conservation as a mechanism for reducing greenhouse gas emissions as well as protections for ocean ecosystems.
“We support efforts in the UNFCCC negotiations to agree on actions to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) in developing economies,” stated the declaration.
“We recognize the role of the oceans in mitigating climate change, and the impact of climate change on oceans and coastal areas.”
With the United States failing to make progress on domestic climate legislation, the decision not to pursue binding emissions targets at Copenhagen in December has been widely expected.
Forecast CO2 emissions, 1990-2030 (using EIA 2009 data)