This was despite the fact that industrialised countries are far behind compliance with pledges to stabilise greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2000. Carbon dioxide emissions from countries like Japan have even increased by 8.3 percent in 1995 over 1990 levels. In 1995, new negotiations began toward tightening targets for cutting emissions of greenhouse gases by industrialised nations. These talks will culminate in Kyoto, Japan in December, where parties to the UN agreement will set targets beyond 2000. To this day there remains no consensus on targets, and the challenge in Kyoto will be how to straddle the interests of developing and developed countries.
Several proposals are on the table.
The U.S. and Japan have held off committing to numerical targets, while the European Union seeks a cut in greenhouse emissions of 15 percent below 1990 levels by 2010. Island states want even higher targets, a 20 percent cut in emissions at 1990 levels by 2005. Others want a 20 percent reduction below 1990 levels by 2005 and another 20 percent by 2010. Divisions within Asia have taken their toll on Pacific states, which are to be most affected by climate change. Meantime, developing nations are coming under pressure to control their own emissions of greenhouse gases.