In Bonn, Germany, a UN report highlights the importance of deeper cuts in greenhouse gases by developed nations as a key obstacle in reaching a new climate treaty. Developing nations at the UN talks in Bonn see the outlined emissions cuts by developed nations as crucial for a deal to be reached in Copenhagen in December. However, many developed nations argue that such cuts would harm their economies. Yvo de Boer, head of the UN Climate Change Secretariat, describes the 25 to 40 percent range as a benchmark for measuring the success of the Copenhagen agreement. The 25-40 range was not included in the IPCC's "summary for policymakers" despite being based on a few studies. Shyam Saran, the special climate envoy to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, expressed disappointment in the lack of progress in setting targets at the Bonn talks. Developing nations, led by China and India, are calling for the rich countries to make cuts in emissions of at least 40 percent, citing evidence of worsening global warming since 2007. Small island states are urging for even greater cuts, at least 45 percent below 1990 levels, to prevent being submerged by rising sea levels. Saran stated that achieving a forty percent reduction by 2020 is a reasonable goal if the problem is as serious as believed. De Boer mentioned that this percentage is not an agreed upon target, but rather a scenario to prevent the worst effects of global warming. Many developed nations, including the United States, believe this target is unattainable. President Obama aims to reduce U.S. emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and by 80 percent by 2050. Japan recently set a 2020 target of 8 percent below 1990 levels. Bill Hare from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research believes a 25 percent reduction is still possible but will be challenging. He stated that recent scientific discoveries supported the range of 25-40 percent. The exclusion of this range from the summary was due to technical reasons rather than doubts about its accuracy. The 25-40 percent range gained significant political attention when it was referenced in a footnote on page 776 of a document presented at a meeting in Bali in 2007. Currently, wealthy nations have proposed cuts between 8 and 14 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. The European Union has offered cuts of 20 percent, or 30 percent if other developed nations participate. The text on page 776 suggests that developing nations must significantly reduce their emissions by 2020 to prevent the rise of emissions from business as usual. This divides rich and poor countries into distinct groups, rather than implementing a sliding scale of cuts where the wealthiest nations would make the largest reductions. According to Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists, both sides feel overwhelmed by the expectations placed on them. It remains uncertain how this deadlock will be resolved, as the wealthy nations may need to offer greater reductions or the developing nations may need to compromise in exchange for clean technologies and increased aid. Hare mentioned that Russia, the only major country yet to establish a greenhouse gas target, has emissions that are already approximately 30 percent lower than in 1990 following the Soviet Union's collapse. By setting a 2020 goal at current levels, Russia could significantly contribute to overall emissions reductions, which could range from 12 to 18 percent. However, some countries argue that reductions do not necessarily have to fall within this range, especially if more significant reductions are planned for the future. Jonathan Pershing, leader of the US delegation in Bonn and an author for the IPCC chapter that mentioned the 25-40 percent range, suggested that there are other possible trends to consider.