By Martin Banks - 23rd November 2009
The world is waiting to hear what the EU will do
Yvo de Boer
The UN's top climate change official at the COP15 summit in Copenhagen next month has said he is "quietly optimistic" a deal on reducing global CO2 emissions will be struck.
Speaking in Brussels on Monday, Yvo de Boer said there were "one or two sticking points" but that he believed these would be resolved in time for an agreement at the talks which starts on 7 December.
He added that the EU, which he said had been at the "forefront" of efforts to tackle climate change, had a "crucial role" to play in brokering a deal in the Danish city.
However, he warned that "clarity" was needed on both emission-reduction targets and the finance to help developing countries adapt to climate change.
De Boer said it was likely that the legal text of any deal struck in Copenhagen would have be dealt with in the first two months of 2010.
But he did not expect this to be an obstacle, he said, adding, "There has to be a legally-binding agreement at Copenhagen and that means no delay or long-drawn out negotiations.
"The EU has been at the forefront of efforts to address climate change but what is needed now is the courage to storm the final bridge."
In a briefing for journalists ahead of the summit, de Boer warned that any deal struck in Copenhagen will be "stillborn" unless it includes "firm and concrete" commitments on targets and finance.
So far, he said, EU leaders had held back from spelling out exactly how much they are prepared to give poor countries to help adapt to greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.
The EU has offered to cut CO2 emissions by 20 per cent by 2020 but may commit to 30 per cent depending on what other rich countries, like the US and Japan, do.
He said, "The world is waiting to hear what the EU will do. This is the final piece in the jigsaw."
He said it was too much to expect Monday's meeting of EU environment ministers to produce final decisions on targets and finance.
"This is something EU leaders and heads of state will have to decide at their summit next month," he added.
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