Major climate change talks set for next week in New York

Representatives from the 17 nations responsible for 80 per cent of the emissions thought responsible for global warming will meet in New York next week, a US envoy has said.

US special envoy for climate change Todd Stern said the meeting would take place September 20-21, as part of ongoing global talks on reducing harmful emissions that cause climate change.

The talks fall under the aegis of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, launched by US President Barack Obama to facilitate climate talks ahead of last year's disappointing United Nations conference in Copenhagen.

The successor conference to the Copenhagen meet is set for this November in Cancun, Mexico.

Stern said the New York meeting would provide a chance for "a candid dialogue among major developed and developing economies to make progress in meeting the climate change and clean energy challenge."

The meeting will also "advance the exploration of concrete initiatives and joint ventures that increase the supply of clean energy while cutting greenhouse gas emissions," he said.

Environment ministers from 45 countries are also scheduled to meet in Geneva in September at the invitation of the Swiss and Mexican governments.

And negotiators from the 194 signatories to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change are to meet in Tianjin, China for a final preparatory round of talks in October.

The New York talks later this month will include representatives from Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, and the United States.