Developed countries should provide more technology and funds to developing countries in tackling climate change, experts said.
"Developed countries should fulfill their commitments to provide more technological and financial support to developing countries in dealing with climate change," said Zou Ji, vice president of the School of Environment and Natural Resources at China Renmin University.
Zou made the call at a press conference releasing the World Economic and Social Survey 2009, published by the United Nations (UN) Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
"Advanced countries will have to deliver resources and leadership on a much larger scale than has been the case to date," said Victoria Sekitoleko, a representative from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
Since 1950, advanced countries have contributed as much as three-quarters of the increase in global emissions, despite accounting for less than 15 percent of the world's population, says the survey.
The survey underscored the failure of wealthy countries to honor long-standing commitments of international support for poverty reduction -- and adequate transfers of resources and technology remains the single biggest obstacle to meeting the climate change challenge.
Zou urged the developed countries to meet targets of at least 40 percent emission cuts below 1990 levels by 2020.
Emissions trading is an administrative approach used to control pollution by providing economic incentives to achieve pollutant emissions cuts. Polluting agencies are issued emissions permits and required to hold an equivalent of allowances which represent the right to emit a specific amount of emissions.
Zou called for fair and reasonable distribution of greenhouse emissions permits among different countries. "Developing countries should be given adequate emissions permits."
China had lagged far behind developed countries in research and development of technology on emissions cuts, Zou said. "China needed the transfer of 43 core technologies in nuclear power, bio-power, and smart grids, among others."
He said the major obstacles to technology transfer lay in corporate monopoly and governmental prohibition.
Developing countries, with financial and technological support from the developed world, could take appropriate measures to deal with climate change and change modes of economic growth, Zou said.
(Xinhua News Agency September 7, 2009)
