Carbon conference

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THE United Nations is hosting a climate change conference on the Indonesian island of Bali from December 3-14. Delegates from over 180 nations will meet to negotiate a new pact to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.

Q: What is the Kyoto protocol?

A: It is an international and legally binding agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. It came into force in February 2005 after being agreed at a 1997 UN conference in Kyoto, Japan. A total of 174 nations signed the pact. It aims to reduce the greenhouse gases emitted by developed countries to at least 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2008-12.

Q: Is everyone signed up to the pact?

A: No. The United States, the world's biggest carbon emitter, opposed the Kyoto protocol in 2001. It said it would be too expensive and should include targets for developing nations.

Australia also argues it would unfairly damage Australia's energy-export based economy and cost jobs. But on Monday, it finally signed the agreement.

Q: What's on the agenda at Bali?

A: The Bali conference is not expected to deliver a fully negotiated and agreed new climate deal, but instead aims to set the necessary wheels in motion.

Parties need to agree on the key areas which the new climate agreement should cover.

They include plans for industrialized nations to pay rainforest-rich nations to protect their forests in order to offset greenhouse gas emissions. Other areas studied include adaptation, technology and financing.

They also need to agree on a timetable for the talks and negotiations. They will make sure the new climate change deal can be signed by governments before the end of 2012.

Q: Why are developed nations expected to cut their carbon?

A: Climate change will hit the poorest the hardest, but it will affect everyone. With their greater economic and technological resources, industrialized countries are considered to be equipped to do the most to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Q: How do developing nations react?

A: Increasingly, developing countries are taking steps to cut back on emissions and to adapt to the impacts of climate change. China is attending the meeting. Premier Wen Jiabao told UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a phone conversation on Sunday that China would adopt an \"active, responsible and constructive\" approach in Bali. But he urged rich nations to help.

Digging deep to cut carbon

BESIDES signing treaties, scientists are trying to cut carbon. One promising technology is to capture carbon emissions from plants and store them underground. But some argue that it is too expensive and would cause underground pollution.

World CO2 emissions

a year in millions of metric tons

Power plants 10,539

Cement production 932

Refineries 798

Steelworks 646

Petrochemical 379

How carbon capture and storage works

CO2 emission source

Coal-fired power plant, steel works, cememt factory, etc

CO2 sepration and capture

CO2 injection

Pump and evaporator