The 20 countries taking part in the "informal" two-day conference, including the United States, China and India, account for about 70% of total global greenhouse gas emissions, said Reuters, citing Japanese Foreign Ministry officials. The conference is being chaired by Japan and Brazil.
"There is a growing recognition that we need a global response to climate change, and we need to further engage large developing countries like China, India and Brazil," said Yvo de Boer, head of the U.N. Climate Secretariat.
"These countries find it very important also to achieve economic growth and eradicate poverty," he told reporters in Tokyo. "This means we have to find ways to put in place incentives for those countries to act on climate change."
