Mexico Appeals to Extend Kyoto Protocol at Durban Conference

Mexico would request the international community to extend the Kyoto Protocol to a second commitment period at the upcoming climate change conference to be held in Durban, South Africa, a government official said Wednesday.

"We believe it is necessary the Kyoto Protocol is maintained, but we also believe that it is not enough just to adhere to it," Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa Catellano said.

"We need commitments which go beyond what is said to meet the goals we have already agreed at an international level, precisely in Cancun," she said, referring to last year's conference in Mexico.

The country's support for the extension of the protocol showed "there is a political will" in its fight against climate change, the minister said at the "Green Solutions" business forum in Mexico City.

"But at the same time, we must be aware that this is not the solution, not the only solution." the minister said, regarding the uncertain future of the only international treaty for cutting greenhouse gases.

She also stressed the importance of green economy and praised the efforts of leading enterprises to apply cutting-edge technology and investment in areas that support the fight against climate change effects.

"Mexico is convinced that the fight against climate change concerns us all: governments, businesses and civil society are also convinced that it is not only a moral obligation, but a clear economic opportunity," she said.

The Kyoto Protocol, which is due to expire in 2012, is the only legally binding international treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Its first commitment period expires at the end of next year, but there are conflicting views over the need to extend the protocol.

The United States has made it clear that it would not sign an updated Kyoto Protocol, while the Europe Union said it can accept a continuation, provided China and the United States show they are serious about major cuts in the coming years.

Canada, Japan and Russia have also refused to sign for a second commitment period, citing its lack of legal constraints on the world's biggest polluters.

Developing countries like South Africa and China have expressed their willingness to extend the agreement.

The Durban conference, known as the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 7th Session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the parties to the Kyoto Protocol, will be held from Nov. 28 to Dec. 9.

The conference has been held annually since 1995 to assess progress in dealing with climate change.