US Lends Support to Collective Action at UN Climate Change COP18

Doha, December 05 (QNA) - The US has lent support to collective efforts for fighting climate change and reducing carbon emissions whose impact could aggravate in the future. U.S. special envoy Todd Stern said at the UN Climate Change COP18 high-level meeting all should acknowledge that confronting climate change is a necessity that must not be dealt with only through sustainable development, noting that the US has taken stringent procedures to improve fuel standards, increase renewable sources of energy, improve energy efficiency and pump more investments into clean energy. President Barack Obama has taken steps to organize the sectors of transport and construction using clean energy and reducing carbon emissions, Stern said, underlining Obama's willingness to continue efforts to fight the impact of climate change and stressing that he will take more relevant action and decisions. The US is on the road towards fulfilling its commitments, he said, pointing out that it will reduce emissions by 17% by the year 2020. Stern called for more collective cooperation to pool efforts to fight climate change, hailing the Doha conference as a good opportunity for more cooperation among countries. He praised Qatar's hosting of the conference and its perseverance and commitment to ensure a successful end to negotiations. COP18 in Doha is a turning point and a historic gathering that will end a protracted phase of negotiations and open up a new era for real, collective cooperation to confront the impact of climate change, he said. (QNA)