Bali climate change talks

Climate change talks are taking place in Bali, Indonesia, December 2007.

A fifth of Jakarta, capital of Indonesia, may be permanently flooded by 2050, Indonesian officials believe. (Jakarta faces perils of warming, inaction)

Jakarta's international airport may soon be surrounded by water and accessible only by boat.

Many of Jakarta's slums and luxury housing developments will be submerged, said Rachmat Witoelar, Indonesia's environment minister.

One of the problems in Indonesia has been the cutting down of vast numbers of trees.

Some people believe that China has overtaken the U.S. as the world's top emitter of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases.

But China questions the fairness of binding cuts when its per capita emissions are about one-sixth of America's.

China says it has only been pumping pollutants into the atmosphere for a few decades, whereas the West has done so for hundreds of years. (China Says West Should Deal With Warming)

The USA has not yet signed up to the Kyoto agreement.

The USA opposes Kyoto because it does not include major polluters like China and India.

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