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Nations Plot Modest Climate Goals at Bali Talks

Representatives of the world's nations have gathered in Bali, Indonesia, to plan how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions after the Kyoto agreement expires.

More than 10,000 people have gathered for the United Nations climate talks, and that number will swell even more in the next few days, as senior government officials arrive to see if they can seal a deal.

The Kyoto climate talks started 10 years ago this week. Kyoto's ambitious emissions-reduction targets are supposed to be reached in a five-year span — from 2008 to 2012 — and the big question looming is what will happen after 2012? That's where Bali comes in. The hope is that the meeting will jump-start rather lethargic climate negotiations.

The talks are a major focal point because climate change has become such a big issue, and there's growing optimism that the conference will be able to reach its very modest goals.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Award-winning journalist Richard Harris has reported on a wide range of topics in science, medicine and the environment since he joined NPR in 1986. In early 2014, his focus shifted from an emphasis on climate change and the environment to biomedical research.