Barcelona - December's Copenhagen climate conference will produce a "real" but probably not binding agreement, a US climate change negotiator said Thursday. Jonathan Pershing made the comments in Barcelona, Spain, where UN climate negotiators are trying to pave the way for a deal to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol in Copenhagen on December 7-18.
UN top climate change official Yvo de Boer said Wednesday he expected the United States to table concrete proposals in Copenhagen, but Pershing did not give details on eventual commitments.
The US Senate is in the process of considering a law proposal on emission cuts.
Hopes of a strong deal in Copenhagen have been waning in Barcelona, with African countries accusing advanced industrialized nations of not wanting to make clear commitments.
Pershing disagreed with African delegates who described the Barcelona talks as a waste of time and money.
The administration of US President Barack Obama was committed to fighting global warming, but it was also necessary to implicate other countries such as India and China, Pershing said.
