Two weeks before the historic climate change meeting of world leaders in Copenhagen to decide on a new climate treaty, the Philippine government expressed optimism that the country’s ambitious call for “deep and early cut” in greenhouse gas emissions is still within reach.

“The road to Copenhagen has been rough and full of uncertainties, however, recent developments in the international fora suggest a successful and ambitious outcome is still very much in reach,” Presidential adviser on global warming and climate change Secretary Heherson Alvarez said.

A new table of emission reductions is expected to be presented by parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) during the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark from Dec. 7 to 18.

The conference is significant because it will be the last time that leaders on the government level will meet and agree on a new global climate treaty, before the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.

The protocol, initially adopted in 1997 in Kyoto, Japan and entered into force in 2005, is a legally-binding agreement that sets the emission levels of 187 signing parties.

“Strong signals are being sent by several key developing countries like Brazil, India, and Indonesia towards declaring ambitious voluntary emission reduction targets,” Alvarez said who just arrived from the Pre-Copenhagen Ministerial Meeting in Denmark last Nov. 16 to 17.

“In line with the Philippine position of deep and early cuts, these three large economies have indicated a willingness to cut between 30 to 40 percent of their emissions by 2020 based on 1990 levels,” he added.

He cited that for more than a year of negotiations at the UNFCCC, industrialized or Annex 1 are in a deadlock with developing countries that are most vulnerable to climate disasters, such as the Philippines, on how much Annex 1 countries will reduce their greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade.

Negotiations are also directed on how much financing will be provided for developing countries to adapt to global warming.

At the Pre-Conference of Parties meeting, Alvarez said Brazil’s range of reduction through mitigation stands at 36 to 38 percent compared to “business-as-usual” scenario.

Likewise, Indonesia is willing to reduce from 26 to 41 percent, while India and South Korea said they are prepared to commit their emissions.

Meanwhile, Japan is willing to provide US$9.2 billion in climate change funds until 2012.

The Philippines has been calling for deep and early cuts in greenhouse gas emissions by Annex 1 countries of at least 30 percent from 2013 to 2017; 50 percent from 2018 to 2022; and at least 95 percent by 2050, all based on 1990 levels.