India voices disappointment over poor US contribution to the cause of fighting global warming

• Negotiators from China and Japan clashed over the Kyoto Protocol at the UN climate change meet at Cancun. This has highlighted the uncertain future of the only treaty that puts legally binding emission targets on industrialised nations.
• Japan has announced that it will not be part of a potential second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol after its first commitment period expires in 2012. Under the first period, rich nations committed to cut emissions by an average 5 per cent over 1990 levels.
• Deputy head of China's delegation, Huang Huikang said some countries want to to kill the Protocol. He said there must be a continuation of the Kyoto Protocol and there must be a second commitment period.
• Senior Japanese negotiator, Akira Yamada, responded by saying that Tokyo is not killing the protocol but reiterated that the treaty only dealt with 27 per cent of the global carbon emissions and it wasn't equipped to combat climate change. He said reducing carbon emissions is the responsibility of both developing and developed countries.
• India has voiced its disappointment over the poor contribution of US to help poorest countries in fighting global warming. Union Environment Minster Jairam Ramesh, who represent India in the UN Climate Talks told reporters that Washinton has given just 1.8 billion Dollars so far out of 30 billion pledged to the cause. Of this, 400 million Dollars are given as export credit. He said if this is going tobe US contribution in the first year, it doesn't augur well for What he said "fast-start finance.
• Ramesh underlined that one of the reasons that the BASIC countries -- Brazil, India, China and South Africa -- had agreed to the Copenhagen Accord with the United States was the fast-start finance.
• Jairam Ramesh also expressed concern over Japan's announcement. He, however, signalled optimism that some key decisions can be made in the week ahead. He said any big agreements are not anticipated there.