Coleman says U.S. "has dug in its heels" on climate issues important to developing countries
The U.S. and other nations were applauding this weekend’s climate change agreement on Monday, but the deal’s difficult negotiations showed all too clearly the major hurdles that lie ahead as officials try to reach a much more sweeping pact next year in Paris.
The 196 nations gathered in the Peruvian capital agreed that each country should offer a plan next year for reducing its own greenhouse gas pollution. In a major win for the U.S. position, developing nations like China and India are also encouraged under the deal to join richer countries in agreeing to make cuts.
But many demands from poorer countries got little attention at the talks, including their proposal that nations like the U.S. chart a clearer pathway toward steering billions of dollars to help developing nations cope with rising seas, increasing temperatures and worsening storms.
...
“I think there’s an acknowledgment that the U.S. has been doing more. It’s clearly showing a commitment to this issue,” said Heather Coleman, climate change policy manager at Oxfam America. “There is just extreme frustration that the U.S. has dug in its heels on issues that are critically important to developing countries.”