China’s lead climate negotiator Su Wei said he is willing to drop a demand that developed countries specify the level of greenhouse gas emission cuts they will make under a second phase of the Kyoto Protocol emissions reduction treaty, Bloomberg reported. Beijing has expressed concern that the current state of debate between developing and developed countries could be "disastrous" for the United Nations climate policy talks underway in Cancun, Mexico. At present, many governments appear ready to abandon the protocol, which currently sets no emissions limits for China or the US, the world’s two largest emitters. Japan argues that the protocol is useless because it covers less than 30% of global emissions. Canada and Russia are also in favor of abandoning the treaty. Developing nations, including China, want the treaty to be extended so that developing nations contribute to funds to help them offset the costs of cleaning up their industrial infrastructures.
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