Yvo de Boer, the head of the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat, expressed concern that the Bali climate talks may collapse if 190 nations do not quickly resolve their differences and agree on terms for launching negotiations on a new global warming pact. De Boer emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating that failure to make progress on the future terms for negotiations could cause the entire process to fall apart. The talks in Bali are currently deadlocked over the specifics of launching negotiations for a new global climate deal to replace the Kyoto Protocol. The United States, Japan, Canada, and Australia are opposed to including a guideline for wealthy nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 in future negotiations. The European Union, on the other hand, supports this range as a way for rich countries to lead the way in addressing climate change. The EU has accused Washington of being the main obstacle to progress in Bali. The guideline was included in a recent draft aimed at preventing famines, droughts, rising seas, and the melting of Himalayan glaciers. Portugal's Secretary of State for Environment, Humberto Rosa, expressed disappointment that the United States is holding back global efforts to combat climate change. He told Reuters that the U.S. has been incorporating new terms such as engagement and leadership, but he stressed that actions are necessary and mere words are insufficient. This is seen as the primary obstacle. Washington, not a part of the Kyoto Protocol, argues that setting guidelines would influence the results of the negotiations. Additionally, they believe that the 25-40 percent range is not well-supported by scientific research. De Boer stated that negotiations needed to resolve all existing disagreements by midday on Friday in order to allow sufficient time for the translation of documents into the six official U.N. languages. U.N. climate talks often continue late into the night on the final day. The Kyoto Protocol obligates 37 developed nations to reduce their emissions between 2008 and 2012, with exemptions for poorer nations like China and India. President George W. Bush withdrew from the agreement in 2001, citing concerns that it would negatively impact the U.S. economy and did not hold developing nations accountable. The United Nations aims to reach a consensus on a successor to the Kyoto Protocol by late 2009 to give governments ample time to ratify the new agreement by the end of 2012 and provide clear guidance to markets on investing in clean energy technology. China is suggesting that discussions about a new global agreement should continue until 2010, as they want to wait for a new American president to join the negotiations. However, not many other countries support this idea, as President Bush will leave office in January 2009. The Norwegian Prime Minister stated that the goal should be to limit global temperature increases to 2 degrees Celsius and ensure that global emissions peak by 2015. Our actions will be evaluated by future generations, and the wealthy will need to bear the majority of the expenses in assisting developing countries in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.