Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Paris talks on global warming April 16-18

April 15 (Reuters) - Paris will host a meeting of 17 top national emitters of greenhouse gases from April 16-18 in a U.S.-backed scheme to fight global warming and guarantee energy security while promoting economic growth.

Two days of formal talks on Thursday and Friday will be preceded by a workshop on Wednesday about targets by sectors, for instance for the steel or cement industries. It is the third round of the talks, which began in September 2007.

Here are some frequent questions about the "Major Economies Meeting":

U.S. President George W. Bush, long criticised by his allies for doing too little to combat climate change, announced in May 2007 that he planned a series of climate meetings among major emitters before he steps down in January 2009. Pressure for action also came from the U.N. Climate Panel, which said in February 2007 that it was at least 90 percent sure that human activities, led by burning fossil fuels, were stoking warming. More >>>