Nicaragua's lead negotiator said Tuesday it will not make a pledge to fight global warming as part of the Paris climate talks as that would let rich countries off the hook.
It was the first outright refusal among the 195 nations taking part in the negotiations in the French capital that aim to craft a global pact to cut climate-harming carbon emissions.
"We are not going to present a 'national contribution' on a voluntary basis because it would kill the concept of historic responsibility" of large polluters, Paul Oquist, head of the Nicaraguan delegation, told AFP.
He said five other countries -- Venezuela, Bolivia, Argentina, El Salvador and India -- share his view on the question of responsibility being placed on nations that historically emitted the most pollution.
So far 183 other nations have put forth voluntary plans to cut their emissions, which will be the basis for the hoped-for post-2020 agreement in Paris.
Oquist, who first revealed Nicaragua's position to a climate news service on Monday, said the UN should instead set quotas for nations based on the quantities of greenhouse gases emitted since the start of the Industrial Revolution.
Nicaragua’s lead negotiator said Tuesday it will not make a pledge to fight global warming as part of the Paris climate talks as that would let rich countries off the hook.
It was the first outright refusal among the 195 nations taking part in the negotiations in the French capital that aim to craft a global pact to cut climate-harming carbon emissions.
“We are not going to present a ‘national contribution’ on a voluntary basis because it would kill the concept of historic responsibility” of large polluters, Paul Oquist, head of the Nicaraguan delegation, told AFP.
He said five other countries — Venezuela, Bolivia, Argentina, El Salvador and India — share his view on the question of responsibility being placed on nations that historically emitted the most pollution.
So far 183 other nations have put forth voluntary plans to cut their emissions, which will be the basis for the hoped-for post-2020 agreement in Paris.
Oquist, who first revealed Nicaragua’s position to a climate news service on Monday, said the UN should instead set quotas for nations based on the quantities of greenhouse gases emitted since the start of the Industrial Revolution.
