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Japan to urge midterm CO2 targets

The Japanese prime minister is to propose a midterm target for meeting cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

In a speech to be delivered at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Yasuo Fukuda will urge nations to adopt unilateral CO2 targets before 2050.

To reach the long-term target of cutting global emissions by 2050, a midterm target for each major emitter should be adopted rather than just a global target, Mr Fukuda will say.

The EU is also in favour of emission cuts on a country-by-country basis. It proposed a midterm target calling on industrialised countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25-40 per cent in 2020 from the 1990 levels.

Japan, home to the world's second biggest economy after the US is seen as keen to repel criticism that it is not doing enough domestically to fight global warming.

The Kyoto treaty set targets for 37 industrial countries to cut emissions from 1990 levels.

Japan has acknowledged it is behind on the goal of a six per cent cut to be attained between 2008 and 2012.

On Wednesday, the EU commission proposed tighter caps on carbon quotas with the aim of cutting emissions by a fifth by 2020.

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