Japan says not to "associate itself" with setting Kyoto Protocol's second commitment period

The Kyoto Protocol covers only 27 percent of global energy related CO2 emissions and Japan will not associate itself with setting the second commitment period, Japanese Environment Minister Ryu Matsumoto said Thursday.

Matsumoto told delegates at the UN climate change conference that all parties should share the goal of achieving at least 50 percent reduction of global emission by 2050.

"To achieve this goal, it is essential to establish a new, fair and acceptive legal framework covering all major economies," Matsumoto said."Japan will only undertake a legal obligation to reduce emissions under a fair and acceptive framework when the participants include all major economies."

Matsumoto said Japan will maintain the spirit of the Kyoto, but the new international framework should be established based on the Copenhagen Accord as it covers countries representing 80 percent of global energy related CO2 emissions.

The UN climate change conference, running from Nov. 29 to Dec. 10 in the Mexican resort of Cancun, aims at finding solutions to global climate change.

From the beginning of the conference, Japan opposed to committing to a new period of the protocol. Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia said they will not sign any other accords unless developed nations sign on for a new period.

Source: Xinhua