After two days of talks in Ottawa, a U.S.-led bloc of nations and the European Union yesterday failed to iron out disagreements over how to implement a climate change treaty. Negotiators had hoped to reach an agreement that could be more formally approved by their countries next week in Oslo, but the Ottawa meeting produced so little that Canadian Environment Minister David Anderson said an Oslo follow-up would be “unlikely.” Just as at the collapsed climate talks in The Hague, Netherlands, the major remaining dispute is over whether countries should be allowed to count the amount of carbon absorbed by forests and farmland toward their greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets. The U.S., Canada, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand argue in favor of such carbon sinks, while the EU believes emissions should be cut at the source. Meanwhile, even though the U.S. government isn’t displaying leadership on the issue, companies and individuals are beginning to take significant steps to reduce greenhouse gases, writes Donella Meadows. Read more on the Grist Magazine website.
