Mexico announces carbon cap at climate talks

As 145 environment ministers and other leaders gathered for the final phase of the two-week talks, delegates from poor countries made emotional pleas to rich countries to take the lead in cutting the heat-trapping gases that their factories have pumped into the air since the Industrial Revolution.

Countries like the United States, Canada and Japan have resisted deep emissions cuts without similar sacrifice from the developing world. They argue that unilateral action on their part would harm their economies, and would not solve the crisis if industrializing countries like China and India keep spewing out ever more carbon dioxide.

The attitude of the rich countries "borders on the immoral and is counterproductive," said John Ashe, Antigua's ambassador to the U.N., speaking on behalf of 130 developing countries plus China.

German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel conceded that "our negotiations are by far not progressing fast enough. We are not making any progress on crucial issues."

"If industrialized countries carry on playing games with words in an attempt to shirk their responsibilities, we will become a laughing stock," Gabriel said.

To spur global collective action, Mexico's environment secretary, Juan Rafael Elvira, announced his country's plan to cut 2002 greenhouse gas emission levels by 50 percent by 2050. Still, he said Mexico's goal of using solar power, wind and other clean technologies could only be reached with financial and technological help from wealthier nations.

The Mexican plan includes establishing a cap-and-trade system that would set emissions limits on certain sectors, such as cement, electricity and oil refining, which account for the vast majority of its emissions. Companies that reduce their emissions below those limits could sell their unused allowances on the international carbon market.

The move makes Mexico the only developing country to set a voluntary national target below current levels, said Antonio Hill, senior policy adviser for Oxfam. South Korea has said it would announce an emissions cap next year, and South Africa has a detailed plan to peak emissions in 2025.

"It's a very significant step because a major emerging economy is saying that it will put a limit on its emissions for key sectors which account for the majority of its emissions," said Jake Schmidt, international climate policy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council.