Nothing could have been accepted that would have allowed the U.S., the planet's main polluter, not to make a serious commitment to cutting emissions,'' Voynet told France-Inter radio. France currently holds the European Union's six-month rotating presidency. Voynet described the cross-channel argument as a ''pathetic debate,'' and accused Britain of conceding too much to the United States during the talks. The key issue blocking agreement on greenhouse gases was whether and to what extent countries should be allowed to count the carbon dioxide absorbed by forests and farmlands toward their emissions reduction targets. Greenhouse gas emissions mostly come from burning fossil fuels for factories, power plants and cars.
Carbon dioxide is a major component of the emissions.
The deal appeared to be within reach after key negotiators from the EU and an American-led group that included Japan and Canada came to an agreement in the early hours of Saturday. But the deal had to be approved by the rest of the EU delegation, according to a senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official said the EU delegates could not agree among themselves. The Mirror tabloid ran a banner front-page headline ''Too tired to save Earth'' with a large photo of Voynet. The criticism of John Prescott is a lone dissenting voice.