Global warming compromise put to G8 leaders

The world moved a step closer today to agreeing a political deal on rules for the Kyoto Protocol on curbing harmful climate change ... without the United States.

The proposals, drawn up by the president of the conference, Dutch Environment Minister Jan Pronk, and discussed late into the night at the Bonn talks, have now been placed before the Heads of Government G8 Summit in Genoa.

British Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett has asked Tony Blair to reinforce the message with the other leaders, that the EU has been "flexible" in its approach.

But Japan, Australia and Canada are not happy about the details and, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature, will stand in the way of unity if they continue to block the plans.

Under the package, these three countries have achieved what they asked for on the use of forest and plantation "sinks" to absorb global warming gases - and have won the elimination of limits on the use of emissions trading, usually with "cleaner", less developed nations.

This in theory meets the demands that the three nations outlined before the summit began, placing them in a position to ratify.

The concessions have been at the expense of the European Union. It has given ground on "sinks" and has been forced to allow buying and selling of emissions "rights" to take precedence over domestic reductions in discharges of harmful gases.

These were the sticking points that led to the collapse of the Hague talks last November.

The Pronk proposal contains nothing that would raise concerns for the United States.

The World Wide Fund for Nature said it wanted certain areas in the text strengthened, including tighter limits and sounder criteria for "sinks" and a dollar figure for the funds that would go to developing countries forced to adapt to inevitable climate change impacts.

WWF spokesman Jennifer Morgan said: "Countries that have been putting roadblocks in the way of an agreement have received more than generous concessions.

"If these countries block a deal now, it will show that their purpose in coming to Bonn was simply to prevent agreement.

"Their Ministers would justifiably be severely criticised and blamed for causing the failure of the talks, when they return home.

"The stars are in alignment for a deal in Bonn. Ministers now need to ask themselves whether they could live with the political fallout if this conference is a repeat of Last November’s stalled climate summit.

"The world would rightly condemn ministers that don’t have the guts to back the treaty."