Merkel calls for carbon emissions cuts

For the second time in a week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called on all countries to fix binding targets for cutting carbon emissions by the first half of next year at the latest.

Merkel said she was worried that ambitions for talks to secure a global pact on climate change in Copenhagen next month appear to have “shrunk”, although she acknowledged that a final agreement on such targets would have to wait until next year.

The move comes as environment ministers from across Europe ready themselves to meet in Brussels on Monday in order to discuss what would constitute an acceptable deal for the European Union (EU) at the talks.

UN climate change chief Yvo De Boer has indicated that rich countries should be prepared to put at least $10bn (£6bn) on the table in order to kick-start action immediately. Each country should also list what it will provide and clarify how such funding will be raised, he believes, in order to ensure stable and predictable financing into the future. Such action should guarantee that commitments will not need to be renegotiated every few years.

Merkel’s call to action, meanwhile, was backed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the two are known to have met briefly with Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen at a summit this week to appoint a European Union (EU) president and head of foreign affairs.

The posts have now been taken by Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy and current European commissioner for trade, the UK’s Baroness Cathy Ashton, respectively.

At their meeting, the three politicians discussed last-minute tactics to try and ensure that the global community maintains sufficient political momentum to agree binding commitments.

Both Merkel and Sarkozy have said that they will intensify their diplomatic activity over the next couple of weeks to secure a deal, despite apparently mounting scepticism in the US and a noticeable lack of concrete plans from the White House.

Both leaders have also intimated their intentions to attend the Copenhagen climate change talks in person, although it is still uncertain whether US President Barack Obama will do likewise.