UN talks in Spain seek to salvage climate deal

Friday, 30 October 2009 14:21

Climate negotiators from 175 nations meet in Spain next week for a final session to try to break deadlock between rich and poor and salvage a U.N. deal due in Copenhagen in December.

The Nov. 2-6 talks in Barcelona of almost 4,000 delegates, led by senior government officials, will seek to end deep splits about sharing out curbs on greenhouse gases and ways to raise billions of dollars to help the poor tackle global warming.

In a step forward, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said European Union leaders agreed on funds at a summit on Friday with three conditional offers for Copenhagen. He said poor nations need 100 billion euros ($148 billion) a year from 2020.

Brown told reporters in Brussels that EU states would pay their "fair share". "I think this is a breakthrough that takes us forward to Copenhagen," he said.

Most industrialised nations have not outlined offers.

All sides agree progress has been too slow since talks began in 2007, spurred by findings by the U.N. Climate Panel that world emissions would have to peak by 2015 to avoid the worst of desertification, floods, extinctions or rising seas.

"Time has almost run out," Yvo de Boer, head of the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat, told delegates in a video message. "In Barcelona, all nations must step back from self-interest and let common interest prevail." (Source: Reuters)