General

“Heading for disaster”

Sarkozy suggests keeping the Kyoto protocol as the Copenhagen negotiations fall apart

The European Union wants the U.N. Copenhagen climate talks to result in a new treaty that binds nations to climate actions, but French President Nicolas Sarkozy says that may be impossible. “We need to change track or we are heading for disaster,” he says. Sarkozy wants countries to switch direction and start seriously negotiating a compromise. And keeping the Kyoto protocol, which the conference was designed to replace, may be the best option available. Developing nations have stalled the talks because they don’t want new treaty that would require them to take action on climate change. They prefer to keep the protocol, which requires them to do nothing. Sarkozy says there’s still hope for replacing Kyoto, but that it won’t happen at Copenhagen.

Reuters

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