Experts warn of failure at Copenhagen climate conference

Nov 6, 2009, 13:12 GMT

Barcelona - December's climate change conference in Copenhagen could fail to yield a convincing deal on reducing greenhouse emissions, negotiators and environmentalists warned Friday.

UN climate negotiators meeting in Barcelona were wrapping up the last round of talks before the Copenhagen conference, which will seek to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on December 7-18.

UN top climate change official Yvo de Boer called for stronger 'political leadership,' urging the United States to table figures on the medium-term reduction of its greenhouse emissions.

Advanced industrialized countries also needed to make clear financial commitments towards helping poorer countries to adopt sustainable policies, de Boer said.

Around 40 heads of state or government had already confirmed their attendance at the Copenhagen conference, which needed to commit to emission cuts on the highest level, he stressed.

Environmental groups emphasized the need for an agreement on all key points in Copenhagen. 'Copenhagen must become a success, as there is no plan B,' said Christoph Bals of the sustainable development lobby Germanwatch.

Activists of the environmental organization Greenpeace climbed up a monument dedicated to Christopher Columbus, saying he was pointing at the United States as the country 'most responsible for the approaching climate catastrophe.'

Several other groups also staged protests to press for the Barcelona meeting to make a last-ditch effort.

A hundred and fifty people around the world were Friday launching a hunger strike to press for an agreement in Copenhagen, representatives of a group called Climate Justice Now said.

The only chance of a strong agreement in Copenhagen was a last- minute summit between the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Brazil, China and Russia, according to some sources at the meeting.

Several more months of negotiations might be needed after the Copenhagen conference, European Commission chief negotiator Artur Runge-Metzger was quoted by Spanish media as saying.