China says it has set a carbon dioxide emissions reduction target ahead of next month's U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen. China's State Council says China will cut its "carbon intensity" 40-45 per cent by the year 2020, compared to 2005 levels. Carbon intensity is the amount of greenhouse gases emitted for each unit of a nation’s income, so China’s absolute emissions could still go up.

U.S. President Barack Obama, meanwhile, set a goal for the U.S. earlier this month of reducing its emissions by 17 per cent by 2020, compared to 2005 levels. This is considered a hopeful sign for next month’s talks. India, meanwhile, has stated that it sees the importance of fighting climate change but has not made any firm commitments.

< Prev		Next >