NUSA DUA, Indonesia — After a failed attempt to block an agreement, Canada found itself isolated at the Bali conference
Saturday and grudgingly accepted a new accord to set a target of 25 to 40 per cent for cuts in greenhouse-gas emissions by wealthy countries by the end of the next decade. Environment Minister John Baird spoke against the ambitious target, but found himself virtually alone. Only Russia supported him – so he withdrew his objection, sparking a lengthy burst of applause from other countries. Mr. Baird also failed in his attempt to gain commitments by China, India and other developing nations to reduce their fast-growing emissions.“We weren't pleased with the language that weakened and watered-down the agreement that was adopted here, but it's better than no agreement,” he told reporters later. “There are 190 countries represented here in Bali, and 38 of them agreed to take on national binding targets today,” he said. “We've just got to work on some of the other 150.” The developments came on a day of high drama and tension at the Bali conference as the 190 countries worked overtime to reach two major agreements after 15 days of negotiations. The first agreement, applying to all 190 countries, was softened significantly to satisfy the opposition of the United States. The agreement proclaims that “deep cuts” will be required in global emissions of greenhouse gases to respond to the “urgency” of the global warming crisis. But this agreement fails to mention any specific targets, leaving that issue for negotiations over the next two years. The European Union had pressed hard for the targets, but had to give up on the issue when the U.S. refused to accept it.
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