US already bailing out of Cancún?

The Cancún climate change summit only started yesterday, but according the Guardian, the US may be the first to walk out if developing countries don't meet its demands.

Cancún climate change summit: America plays tough

US adopts all-or-nothing position in Cancún, fuelling speculation of a walk-out if developing countries do not meet its demands

• US energy secretary warns of 'Sputnik moment' in green technology race

Suzanne Goldenberg, US environment correspondent
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 30 November 2010 13.55 GMT

America has adopted a tough all-or-nothing position at the Cancún climate change summit, fuelling speculation of a walk-out if developing countries do not meet its demands.

At the opening of the talks at Cancún, the US climate negotiator, Jonathan Pershing, made clear America wanted a "balanced package" from the summit.

That's diplomatic speak for a deal that would couple the core issues for the developing world – agreement on climate finance, technology, deforestation – with US demands for emissions actions from emerging economies and a verifiable system of accounting for those cuts.

In a briefing with foreign journalists in Washington, the chief climate envoy, Todd Stern, was blunt. "We're either going to see progress across the range of issues or we're not going to see much progress," said Stern. "We're not going to race forward on three issues and take a first step on other important ones. We're going to have to get them all moving at a similar pace."

In the run-up to the Cancún talks, Stern has said repeatedly that America will not budge from its insistence that fast-emerging economies such as India and China commit to reducing emissions and to an inspection process that will verify those actions.

The hard line – which some in Washington have seen as ritual diplomatic posturing – has fuelled speculation that the Obama administration could be prepared to walk out of the Cancún talks.

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