Yvo de Boer, head of the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat, expressed concern that the Bali climate talks could collapse unless 190 nations quickly resolve issues hindering the start of negotiations for a new global warming agreement. The talks, involving over 10,000 delegates, are stuck on the specifics of initiating discussions on a climate deal to replace the Kyoto Protocol. De Boer warned that failure to make progress could cause the entire process to fail. Disagreements have arisen among countries such as the United States, Japan, Canada, and Australia over the inclusion of a guideline suggesting that rich nations should reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 in future negotiations. The European Union, which supports this range to demonstrate leadership by wealthy countries, has criticized Washington for hindering progress at the Bali talks. This guideline was part of a recent draft outlining terms for discussions aimed at addressing issues like famine, drought, sea level rise, and melting glaciers in the Himalayas. Portugal's Secretary of State for Environment, Humberto Rosa, expressed disappointment that the United States is delaying global action on climate change. Portugal currently holds the rotating EU presidency, and Rosa is leading the EU's delegation at the Bali talks. "The United States has been introducing new terminology like engagement and leadership, but simply using words is insufficient. We require tangible actions. This is the primary obstacle," he informed Reuters. The U.S., which is not a part of the Kyoto Protocol, argues that setting guidelines would prematurely influence the negotiation results. Additionally, it believes that the 25-40 percent target range is not supported by substantial scientific research." De Boer stated that negotiations must resolve all outstanding disagreements by midday on Friday to allow for the translation of documents into the six official U.N. languages. U.N. climate talks often go late into the night on the final day. The Kyoto Protocol binds 37 industrialized nations to reduce their emissions between 2008 and 2012. Developing nations, including China and India, are not required to reduce emissions, and President George W. Bush withdrew from the agreement in 2001, citing potential harm to the U.S. economy and lack of targets for developing nations. The United Nations aims for all countries to reach an agreement on a successor to the Kyoto Protocol by late 2009 in order to allow time for governments to ratify the new agreement by the end of 2012 and to provide clear guidelines for investment in clean energy technology. China is pushing for discussions on a new international agreement to continue until 2010 to allow time for the new American president to get involved. However, not many other countries support this idea. President Bush will leave office in January 2009. The goal, according to Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, should be to limit global temperature increase to no more than 2 degrees Celsius and ensure that global emissions peak by 2015. In the future, our actions will be evaluated by generations to come. Additionally, he mentioned that the wealthy will need to bear the majority of the expenses in assisting underdeveloped nations in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.