Antigua and Barbuda’s United Nations (UN) Ambassador, Dr. John W. Ashe appears to have saved the day on Wednesday, when he was able to convince African representatives to rejoin talks being held on climate change in Barcelona, Spain.

This happened some thirty-six hours after what is being described as a "dramatic walkout" by the African nations during a discussion earlier this week.

Ashe’s attempts proved effective as he was able to get them to return to the negotiation table so that they could continue to seek to find middle ground for developing stronger emissions targets for the 37 industrialised countries and renew the Kyoto Protocol accord.

The cause for their choice of action is linked to what they are calling the "backsliding on their promises" by the rich industrialised countries. They are accusing these countries of not being true to their commitment to curb man-made carbon emissions which are thought to be the cause of global warming.

According to Ambassador Ashe, the African nations had demanded that the developed countries make more ambitious pledges for emissions cuts after 2012, when the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol ends.

"They (the African Group) rejected discussions on related topics such as carbon offsets, which can be traded in markets, and new ways to measure gases scientists blame for climate change, and were calling on the 27-nation European Union (EU), Australia, Canada, and other developed nations that are parties to Kyoto to agree to cut their emissions by at least 40 per cent from 1990 levels by 2020. That’s the maximum sought by a UN scientific panel in a range from 25 per cent to 40 per cent," he said.

Ashe was able to construct a solution which allowed the negotiations to continue. Under this agreement, 60 per cent of the remaining negotiating time in Barcelona will be dedicated to discussing the targets, and the remaining 40 per cent will be used to discuss other elements.

After the agreement was made, Pa Ousman Jarju, a Gambian delegate speaking on behalf of the African nations, said, "The position we have taken is in no way intended to block the progress, but to ensure we have ambitious numbers."

The UN talks are divided into; The Kyoto Protocol track to set targets for all developed countries except the U.S., which never ratified the treaty and a separate set that includes the U.S., and is also discussing actions developing nations such as China and India, will be taking to cut their greenhouse gases.

 The 27-nation EU has said it will lower emissions by 20 per cent in the same timeframe and increase that to a 30 per cent cut if a global deal is reached. Japan has pledged to cut gas discharges by 25 per cent in the three decades through 2020 while Norway has made a 40 per cent reduction pledge.

 Australia’s 25 per cent reduction pledge is from 2000 levels, which were higher than 1990, so it is not considered as being ambitious enough. Other developed countries that are members of the Kyoto Protocol include Russia, Canada, New Zealand and Switzerland.