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Double blow on climate change deal as talks begin
Nicholas Cecil, Deputy Political Editor16 Dec 2009
Hopes of a historic climate change deal suffered a double blow today as high-level talks began in Copenhagen.
The United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon risked infuriating poorer nations by appearing to admit that a firm agreement on long-term finance for developing countries may not be reached.
The gloom in the Danish capital was deepened by America and China failing to resolve disputes on key issues despite a series of meetings between senior diplomats.
As the talks struggled to gain lift-off, Gordon Brown admitted they could fail and urged world leaders to “defy the odds”. Writing in the Standard, he said: “Decisions we take in the next few days have the potential to be the most momentous and profound for the world in more than half a century.
“History is made by those brave nations and individuals determined to defy the odds.”
Mr Ban has raised fresh doubts over whether a deal would include a commitment on long-term funding which poorer nations have demanded to develop low-carbon economies.
They have insisted that such assistance is vital for an agreement and some have dismissed a proposed £60 billion a year by 2020 as miserly.
Mr Ban appeared to put details of such a fund on the backburner, telling the Financial Times: “We can start next year discussing this matter. If they are not able to agree this time at Copenhagen, then there needs to be some initial arrangement [on financing].” Mr Ban emphasised the need to strike a deal on a short-term financing package of about £6 billion annually, to which Britain has already pledged £1.5 billion over three years.
Mr Brown, while accepting the talks were an “uphill struggle”, insisted that a deal of sorts was required on long-term financing.
The deadlock between China and America is partly over whether Beijing will allow the world to verify its actions to address global warming. Washington was said to have made this a “red line” issue.
China has accused the US and other rich countries of backtracking on their responsibilities as developed nations.
President Obama is expected to make a major financial offer on Friday to a global climate fund but so far Washington is refusing to increase its pledge on reducing carbon emissions.
Reader views (9)
"Double blow on climate change deal":
1) Gordon Brown turned up in Copenhagen, and
2) He's given the talks his full support.
- Malcolm, London, 16/12/2009 16:13
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£1.5bn for the underdeveloped nations: who are these exactly? If it's African nations, then all the money will flow to the nearest Mercedes dealership. If it's China and India, give us a break, they are far richer than us.
As to the rest, why do we need to pay them to combat climate change? I didn't think they had enough money to swan around in large cars and fly around in polluting jets.
If Brown could actually explain what we are getting for our money, it might help. Then again, he can't explain how he and his party managed to run a successful economy deeper into the ground than a train on the Northern Line.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, the Scottish one, 16/12/2009 11:56
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Today, it is snowing in Central London. How often does that happen before Christmas ?
- Freddy, London, 16/12/2009 11:53
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Samual Pepys said that it was so hot people were fainting (1600s). One hundred years later people were skating on the Thames because it has frozen over. Of course this must have been global warming caused by all those aeroplanes, cars and everyone's electrical carbon footprints hehehe. Yes, we're on the brink of bankrupcy so our stupid government commits to giving away even more of OUR money.
- Sue, Orpington, Kent, 16/12/2009 11:21
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These talks will not make any difference to climate change except for the huge amount of hot air when they open their stupid gobs. They really couldn’t care less about the climate only about a freebie holiday. If they cared they would do something like not flying everywhere at the drop of a hat or building new runways. Global warming or ice ages are part of the natural cycle whether it is done by man or other means and will always happen. Humans are part of the natural cycle and we like being warm and hauling our big fat lazy backsides around in cars, boats and aeroplanes. Drive down the A13 past Canary Wharf and see all the lights left blazing away with no one in the offices, or the thousands of lamps just lighting up the sky for no reason. Notice the miles of cars with only one person in the driving seat pumping out poison like there is no tomorrow. Most people don’t give a stuff really and it’s only when their own lives are actually on the line will they start moaning about taking action. This is natural selection at work and let’s hope like our ancestors in the last ice age, that we are just as good as them at surviving. And while we are at it why not cut the population down to maybe 2 billion before mother nature decides to do it for us.
- Stephend, London, England, 16/12/2009 10:51
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I presume this is one way of chicken Brown getting out of PM' question time!
- Tojo, Hythe Kent, 16/12/2009 10:18
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Yet another photo-call and sound-bite for Gormless U-Turn Action-Less Brown.
He can throw £1,500,000,000 at dictators in Africa - but can only afford to give pensioners in the UK an increase of £2.38 per week after April 2010.
- Reuben Camara, Plot 1, Morecambe Compound, EUSSR, 16/12/2009 10:12
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Since AGW is a racket let's all pray that these wasteful CO2 producing junkets fail.
- Convenient Truth, Reading, 16/12/2009 10:01
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1.5 billion pounds is a lot of money, if i'm not mistaken it would have paid for the chinoocks that they are now cutting the mod budget to find. The fact is britain is not the power house it was in the world, we have hit the bottom i hope yet this government still feels content to throw our money down the toilet and increase taxes on those who are working NIC's are a tax to give away so easily to economic migrants and poorer countries while not putting it back into the country that desperately needs it.
- Simon, HEMEL, 16/12/2009 09:32
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