UN Says Major Emitters Have Set Carbon Goals

A scientist delivers a speech at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen on December 15.

OSLO -- The United Nations has said 55 countries accounting for most of the world's greenhouse gas emissions submitted plans to fight climate change.

Yvo de Boer -- head of the UN Climate Change Secretariat -- said pledges covered 55 of 194 member nations and amounted to 78 percent of emissions from energy use.

Submitting such plans by January 31 was agreed at December's UN summit in Denmark.

However, Janos Pasztor, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's top climate adviser, told AP that the pledges were too slight to roll back emissions.