The US stance has been criticized by many, who claim the country which holds historical responsibility for climate change professes it will conserve energy and cut emissions on the one hand, while on the other, tries to pass its domestic problems on to other countries.

Justin Yifu Lin, World Bank vice president and chief economist, said the carbon tariffs proposed by some developed countries would bring more disadvantage to developing countries.

The industrial structure in developed countries had been optimized, with service industries becoming dominant and carbon emissions lowered, Lin said, adding the industries in which developing countries hold a comparative advantage had higher carbon emissions, such as agriculture and manufacturing.

Therefore, the carbon tariffs proposal went against the benefits of developing countries, he said.

Carbon tariffs provisions have received wide criticism both in the US and the international community.

Countries including Germany, Sweden and India have criticized the proposal for breaching the rules of the World Trade Organization and the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" stipulated in Kyoto Protocol, saying it would seriously hurt the interests of developing countries.

US Energy Secretary Steven Chu told media in October that the US should focus on cutting its own greenhouse gas emissions and developing clean energy technologies before slapping carbon tariffs on imported energy-intensive goods.

The country's Chamber of Commerce and National Foreign Trade Council believe that imposing carbon tariffs would trigger a trade war and harm US exports in the end.

Julian L. Wong, a senior policy analyst at the Center for American Progress, said the carbon tariffs provisions sent the wrong message to the international community.

Wong said the measure reflected the fact that some US legislators only cared about the interests of their own constituencies or states, ignoring the international United States' obligations.

(Xinhua News Agency December 4, 2009)