Climate change talks open in China | Environment | guardian.co.uk

Climate change talks open in China | Environment | guardian.co.uk

The UN's climate chief today urged countries to identify achievable goals for fighting climate change ahead of a year-end meeting in Mexico, after last year's Copenhagen summit failed to produce binding limits on greenhouse gas.

Christiana Figueres told 3,000 delegates at the opening of a six-day conference in China – the world's biggest carbon emitter – that they must "accelerate the search for common ground" ahead of November-December talks in Cancún to make progress toward securing a global climate change treaty.

"As governments, you can continue to stand still or move forward. Now is the time to make that choice," she told delegates in the northern port of Tianjin.

"If you want a tangible outcome in December, now is the time to clarify what could constitute an achievable and politically balanced package for Cancun, and what could be subject to further work after Cancún," she said.