China, for example, has had a national policy programme to reduce emissions growth, which included the closure of old, less efficient coal-fired power plants.

Both climate and non-climate policies can affect emissions growth.

So if and when the government succeeds in restarting economic growth, it's likely to restart unsustainable emissions growth too.

Low carbon/climate change: Reducing emissions growth in line with limiting warming to within 2 degrees of pre-industrial levels.

If specialization is in energy-intensive sectors, then there might be a strong link between economic growth and emissions growth.

Instead, it was suggested that there was some degree of flexibility between economic growth and emissions growth.

The original order was based on an estimate of emissions growth since 1996 and projected growth by 2007, she said.

"China has begun to take more aggressive action to slow down its emissions growth," said Mr Jacobs.

It does too little to cut global emissions, and it requires too few countries are to cut their emissions growth.

The deal also was that money and technology transfer would enable emerging countries to avoid future emissions growth.