Nov. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Climate-treaty negotiations in Barcelona won’t move forward unless the richest nations set a combined target for themselves to reduce greenhouse gases, an envoy for a group of 130 developing nations and China said.

Japan, Australia, the 27-nation European Union and other industrialized countries that already are bound to limit gases under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol accord must commit to a further reduction of at least 40 percent in the three decades through 2020, Lumumba Di-Aping, a Sudanese negotiator who speaks for group known as G-77 told reporters today in the Spanish city.

African nations yesterday halted progress in discussions that aim to set new targets under the Kyoto pact for post 2012, saying that emissions reduction pledges by developed nations aren’t sufficient to limit the droughts and floods that are already affecting poorer nations as a result of global warming.

“The developed countries have to come up with a realistic aggregate number,” Di-Aping said. “How that is going to be divided amongst them is a discussion that they have to address in another forum.”

Under the Kyoto accord, 37 developed nations were required to cut their aggregate emissions by about 5 percent. Countries like Iceland, Australia and Spain were allowed to increase their emissions. Others including Germany, the U.K. and Denmark had to make deeper cuts to compensate.

The UN aims to devise a new agreement to fight climate change in December in Copenhagen. The world body has called for new commitments under Kyoto as well as an emissions target for the U.S., which never ratified the existing treaty, and actions to be carried out by developing nations such as India and China to lower their own greenhouse gases.

The talks resumed today after the African nations won an assurance that 60 percent of the remaining negotiating time on Kyoto issues in Barcelona will be dedicated to discussing emissions targets, with 40 percent being used to debate technical details such as carbon offsets and new gases to be regulated.

The EU has said it will lower emissions by 20 percent in the same 1990-2020 timeframe and increase that to a 30 percent cut if a global deal is reached.

Japan has pledged to cut gas discharges by 25 percent in the three decades through 2020 while Norway has made a 40 percent reduction pledge. Australia’s 25 percent reduction pledge is from 2000 levels, which were higher than 1990.

To contact the reporters responsible for this story: Alex Morales in Barcelona via amorales2@bloomberg.net. Todd White in Barcelona via twhite2@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: November 4, 2009 10:06 EST