The battle to clamp legally-binding cuts on global greenhouse gas emissions commenced in Japan on Monday with warnings of catastrophe if the landmark 10-day U.N. conference fails.
Delegates from around 150 nations gathered at the ancient capital of Kyoto for the so-called third session of the Conference of the Parties which seeks to ease the threat of global warming.
``We have to give a serious consideration to restore the environment of this precious Earth,'' said Foreign Minister Keizo Obuchi. ``As a matter of course, this endeavor will be beset by difficulties and pain.''
But the minister warned the opening session that ``unless we start our efforts now, we cannot hand over this beautiful Earth to future generations.''
Obuchi said the Kyoto conference delivered a crucial opportunity to combat global warming in the new millennium.
``People all over the world are holding their breath to watch every action which we are making in this conference hall.''
Given the widely differing postures of participants, ``this 10-day conference will be days of difficult negotiations,'' the foreign minister said.
Developed nations are split over how far to cut emissions, which gases should be included and the U.S. insistence that developing nations make commitments at Kyoto.
Jorgen Henningsen, the European Union's chief negotiator at the talks, told AFP he saw an uphill struggle ahead.
``We have a very good European position,'' he said.
But ``we are finding it difficult to identify where there might be flexibility, Henningsen added. ``I hope that will come across in the coming days.''
Japanese environment agency director general Hiroshi Oki, who took over as president of the conference, said developing countries' emissions would surpass those of the developed world in the decade after 2010.
``Only a fully worldwide strategy can effectively address the problems of climate change,'' Oki said.
But he called for developed countries to take the lead by making commitments at Kyoto while developing nations pursue their ``common but differentiated responsibilities.''
Rich countries should also aid the poor in cutting emissions, Oki said.
The United Nations meeting was opened by Zimbabwean information, posts and telecommunications minister Chen Chimutengwende.
``Climate change threatens each and every individual nation in the world,'' said the outgoing conference president, who later handed over to Oki.
``Climate change is already occuring, as is evidenced by recurrent droughts, floods, pests and diseases.''
Chimutengwende warned that the El Nino climate phenomenon, related to temperature changes in the Pacific Ocean, had been at its most severe in 1997.
This ``makes us wonder if there is a linkage with global warming,'' he said. ``Our climate system may well be taking an irreversible path unless we act now.''
He insisted that developed countries had a greater responsibility and ability to deal with climate change than developing nations.
``Industrialized nations have indirectly placed burdens on all of us and therefore must take the first bold steps to mitigate climate change,'' he said.
``The world is calling for leadership in meeting existing obligations, leadership in reduction of emissions and leadership in alleviating human suffering caused by climate change,'' Chimutengwende said.
``This is a question of survival for small island states and other low lying areas of the world and for vulnerable communities in other poor countries.''
The landmark 1992 Rio Convention called for greenhouse gas emissions, blamed for the warming of the earth, to be returned to their 1990 levels by 2000.
Taking 1990 greenhouse gas emissions as a base, Europe is calling for a 15 percent cut by 2010, Japan for a five percent cut between 2008 and 2012 and the United States for no change between 2008 and 2012.
But each of the offers has a different underlying basis. The United States, for example, includes six ``greenhouse gases'' in its proposal while Europe and Japan include only three.
``The proposals to limit or reduce climate change that are currently on the table fall far short of those proposals put forward by the scientific community,'' Chimutengwende said.