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Compromise Needed for Climate Pact

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Representatives from nearly 200 countries have gathered in the Mexican resort town of Cancun for another round of UN climate change talks. But the sense of anticipation at last year's talks in Copenhagen seems to be lacking, as Wang Mangmang reports.

Delegates have come to Cancun with much lower expectations. Gone is the idealism of reaching a new climate change pact. Now they’re being more realistic about what can be achieved.

Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of UNFCCC, said, “When the stakes are high and the issues are challenging, compromise is an act of wisdom that can unite different positions in creative ways.”

Figueres also urged developed countries to form the 100-billion dollar fund to help developing countries fight global warming, which was agreed at last year's summit in Denmark.

But the president of the host nation says negotiators must work harder to strike a deal.

Felipe Calderon, Mexican President said, “Stopping the climate change is a real goal and there is only one power that can do it. That's the power of humanity itself.”

The sticking issue remains how developed and developing countries can share the burden on fighting climate change.

China still insists it will not submit to US demands for increased inspections on its emissions reduction efforts.

Su Wei, Deputy Head of China Delegation for Cancun Conference, said, “Transparency is not a really big deal to us because we have our policies in place and our own ways of monitoring the changes…”

China says it wants to play a constructive role in the talks. It has also made it clear that it will stick to the Kyoto Protocol and follow the mandate of the Bali Roadmap.

CCTV reporter Wang Mangmang said, "Negotiators agree they must make progress towards a new climate pact. But no one is expecting significant headway to be made in Cancun. Instead, countries are choosing to take baby steps towards a bigger deal in the future. But even that will be difficult as developed and developing countries still bicker over who should do what. "

(CCTV December 1, 2010)