Modest Cancun Agreements Revive Faltering Climate Negotiations

International negotiations to slow global warming, which were dealt a serious blow after last year’s chaotic meeting in Copenhagen, appeared to get back on track in Cancun, Mexico with a series of agreements on limited steps to curb emissions and adapt to rising temperatures. Negotiators from roughly 190 countries approved a package of proposals Saturday that would pay developing nations to preserve tropical forests, pave the way for establishing a fund to help poorer countries cope with climate change, and create a mechanism for developed countries to share low-carbon technologies with developing countries. As expected, negotiators failed to tackle the most pressing issue of establishing binding, nation-by-nation limits on greenhouse gas emissions, nor did the delegates establish a firm deadline to forge a new climate treaty to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. But a wide variety of negotiators — including those from such major CO2-emitting nations as the U.S., China, and India — praised the progress made at Cancun. “What we have now is a text that, while not perfect, is certainly a good basis for moving forward,” said Todd Stern, the top U.S. climate official.