The United States came under pressure to show leadership in UN climate talks today with Mexico saying its neighbour is a stumbling block in efforts to try to craft a tough global climate agreement by December.
The United States has been criticised by developing countries and green groups in talks in Bangkok for not being able to put a tough emissions reduction target for 2020 on the table, instead focusing on a 2050 target.
Developing nations also worry over Washington's position that any new climate pact should set legally binding domestic steps to cut emissions as a benchmark for global action to fight climate change.
"I think that they are in an uncomfortable position since they cannot put on the table any figures unless the Congress process is clearer," Fernando Tudela, head of the Mexican climate delegation in Bangkok said. "They are increasingly identified as a stumbling block for the negotiations and it's up to them to dispel this perception and to show the real leadership we're expecting from them."
A climate bill drafted by US Senate Democrats aims for a 20 per cent cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 from 2005 levels. But President Barack Obama's administration says he is unlikely to sign the legislation before a major December conference in Copenhagen aimed at sealing a new climate pact.
The Senate bill target equates to a 7 per cent cut on 1990 levels by 2020, far below the 25-40 per cent cuts by then that the UN climate panel and developing countries say rich nations should support to avoid dangerous climate change.
"Whenever Congress delivers legislation then once again the US will not be in a process to negotiate because (its) hands will be tied by whatever comes out of the Congress," Mr Tudela said. "They still have to prove that, in whatever legal form, they are able to deliver the abatement that would be conducive to a fair share towards meeting the climate targets."
Delegates from about 180 nations are in Bangkok to try to narrow differences on sharing the burden of slowing climate change through a tougher agreement that from 2013 would replace the Kyoto Protocol.
Kyoto only binds 37 rich nations to emissions targets between 2008 and 2012. The United States is not part of Kyoto, failing to ratify it because the pact does not bind big developing nations to emissions targets.
The Bangkok talks are the last major negotiation round before the December meeting in Copenhagen.
Reuters