Bali Environment Deal 'Score Draw not Victory" say Liberal Democrats

2.00.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 17th Dec 2007

Delegates at the UN summit in Bali have agreed a deal on curbing climate change after days of bitter wrangling. Agreement was reached after a U-turn from the US, which had wanted firmer commitments from developing countries. Environment groups said they were disappointed by the lack of firm targets for reducing emissions. The final text does not mention specific emissions targets, but does acknowledge that "deep cuts in global emissions will be required to achieve the ultimate objective" of avoiding dangerous climate change.

Chris Huhne, Liberal Democrat Environment spokesperson said "Bali is a score draw not a victory. The agreement fails to set a clear target for cuts in emissions either globally or in the developed world. There is still real hope of achieving an historic breakthrough as a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol, but the European Union will have to keep the pressure up. Some aspects of Bali represent real progress, notably the stress on the need to stop tropical deforestation which now accounts for 18 per cent of global emissions."