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US, China balk at new climate report

The US and China want to amend a major UN-sponsored climate report to play down its conclusion that quick, affordable action can limit the worst effects of global warming, the Washington Post reported on Monday.
The draft of the upcoming Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, obtained by Associated Press, says greenhouse emissions can be cut below current levels if the world takes such steps as shifting away from coal and other fossil fuels, investing in energy efficiency and working to halt deforestation.
 
However, the US wants clauses inserted saying the cost of available technologies to reduce emissions and stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations "could be unacceptably high" and calling for a greater emphasis on "advanced technologies," many of which are aimed at extending the use of coal.
 
The United States and China also criticised the draft's economic projections, which conclude that the cost of stabilising greenhouse gases would be less than 3% of the global gross domestic product (GDP) over two decades. China complained the number of studies supporting that optimistic forecast is "relatively small."