U.N. talks on global warming are wrapping up in Peru, but a divide between rich and poor countries and how to divvy up targets to reduce greenhouse gases is a key sticking point that has remained unresolved.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has acknowledged that the issue is "hard fought and ... complex," but he says it is crucial that the targets be agreed on before next year's summit in Paris. The talks in Peru end today.
"[If] it weren't hard, this would have been solved a while ago," Kerry said Thursday in Lima. "But the fact is we simply don't have time to sit around going back and forth about whose responsibility it is to act. Pretty simple folks: It's everyone's responsibility."
He said a failure to act would represent a "massive, collective moral failure of historical consequences."
The BBC reports:
In words that appeared aimed primarily at India and China, two of the world's largest contributors to greenhouse emissions, Kerry said it's vital that no country get a "free pass."
"I know this is difficult for developing nations. We have to remember that today more than half of emissions are coming from developing nations, so it is imperative that they act too," he said.
The Associated Press writes:
Other sticking points include a clause in the text of the report outlining a principle known as "loss and damage," The Guardian reports. It adds:
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