Climate talks end in division and pessimism

[Nicole is ~READY]

By Sara Clarke for AM


LISTEN:
http://www.abc.net.au/am/

Posted 33 minutes ago

The last United Nations negotiating session before next month's Copenhagen summit on climate change has ended in Spain, with rich and poor nations still deeply divided.

Officials say a new treaty to replace the Kyoto accords on greenhouse gas emissions could take another year.

UN officials have admitted progress has been so slow on the most difficult issues they will need more time to legally seal the deal.

The key problems are targets for emissions cuts and money for poorer nations.

Copenhagen could still lead to a significant political agreement, but if it happens it will be a major achievement.

Above targets, money and technology, one major element was clearly missing this week - trust.

As the session winds up, finance ministers from the G20 have arrived in Scotland to discuss the global financial recovery and tackle climate change.

G20 meeting

G20 countries are agreed on the need to cut carbon emissions, but not on how to do it nor even whether to discuss it now or wait until the Copenhagen summit.

Britain says the Copenhagen talks will be a better forum to decide the issue and coordinate with an American plan to help poor countries deal with global warming.

The Swedish finance minister Anders Borg says he is confident leaders will reach a deal, eventually.

"There will be a deal in Copenhagen, that's quite clear. We'll probably have to continue after Copenhagen. We won't solve the problem in Copenhagen, but there will be progress," he said.

"Political agreement that is underpinned by clear financing I think is something that will bring the world forward.

"So we need to have an agreement where people are committing actual money to start the adaptation to climate change."

This meeting takes place amid signs of a tentative global recovery.

A year ago many of the ministers gathering here took action to rescue banks and stabilise spending.

Now there is some talk of reversing those initiatives, but that is unlikely to happen just yet.


http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/08/2736292.htm?section=w...