Environment Sec. calls for binding deal to cut emissions by 40 pct.

State Secretary Sharon Dijksma of Infrastructure and Environment wants all countries participating in the climate summit in Paris this week to legally commit to a 40 percent reduction in emissions by 2030. If this happens, she would consider the summit a success.

The State Secretary told BNR that the biggest obstacles are that some large countries, like India, do not want to bind themselves to legal commitments. "At the same time, developing countries have to contribute to their ability. Emerging economies often find this tricky, because they do not see themselves as a causer of environmental problems", Dijksma said.

GroenLinks European Parliamentarian Bas Eickhout thinks that if the degree of reduction is not binding, the monitoring of commitments made during the summit must be binding. "How are the agreements monitored?" He said to the broadcaster. "The promises will fail, we already know that, so there should be a mandatory review process to see the extent to which agreements are violated."

The climate summit is taking place in the French capital of Paris from today until December 11th. On Sunday night world leaders, including Prime Minister Mark Rutte and American President Barrack Obama, arrived in Paris to attend the summit.