Beijing: The US climate change envoy said
today it was "hugely important" that all countries accept
outside review of their greenhouse gas emissions during a trip
to China, which has rejected such calls.
"With respect to the issue of transparency, I think it`s
hugely important and we do put a lot of emphasis on it," said
Todd Stern, who led US negotiators at the Copenhagen climate
summit last December.
"Countries need to be able to see what track the world is
on generally, where we are going," said Stern, who was also
part of the US delegation to high-level strategic and economic
talks with China, which concluded yesterday.
"The only way we can do that is if there are clear and
transparent measures with respect to the inventories of
greenhouse gases, what measures are being put in place by
countries and so forth."
Speaking at a climate change seminar at Beijing`s
Tsinghua University, Stern said nations also need to be able
to have confidence that other countries are doing their best
to meet their climate change goals.
China, the world`s top source of the gases blamed for
global warming, has said it will not accept outside reviews of
its efforts to slow emissions.
The United States is the world`s number two greenhouse
gas emitter. Beijing has pledged to reduce its carbon
intensity -- the measure of emissions per unit of gross
domestic product -- by 40 to 45 per cent by 2020 based on 2005
levels.
PTI
