U.N. Group Drafts Emission Reduction Plan

A negotiation text outlining ambitious carbon pollution cuts over the next 40 years has been released, buoying efforts toward an international climate accord at the U.N.-sponsored climate conference in Copenhagen.

The document, which was drafted by a U.N. ad-hoc working group, provides a flexible framework for reducing emissions worldwide while providing an outline for a potential international deal.

In the approach outlines, industrial nations would collectively cut their emissions by 25 to 45 percent compared with 1990 levels by the year 2020, while major developing nations would reduce emissions by 15 to 30 percent during the same period. All nations would cut emissions between 50 and 95 percent by 2050. 

Published: December 17, 2009