The European Union has dropped a key demand at climate talks in Bali that guidelines for a new global climate pact should include a reference to tough 2020 emissions goals for rich countries.

"They have agreed not to insist on 25-40 but it will have a sentence refering to the IPCC report and its findings, which include the 25-40 target. To me it seems like a reasonable compromise," said a senior delegate present at the talks, referring to cutting emissions by 25-40 percent by 2020.

The U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change this year said global warming was unequivocal and laid out several emissions reductions targets, some stricter than others, to fight rising temperatures.

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