Brown: Eco-deal may not be possible

Prime Minister Gordon Brown arrives at the climate summit in Copenhagen
12 April 2012

High-level talks at the UN climate conference in Copenhagen are due to get under way, with Gordon Brown admitting that it may not be possible to get a new global warming deal.

Arriving in Copenhagen, the Prime Minister said he was determined to play his part in "bringing the world together".

But he added: "I accept that it is very difficult for us. There are a number of problems that have still got to be sorted out.

"It is possible that we will not get an agreement and it is also true that there are many issues to be sorted out."

Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband wants to see ministers work out the differences between countries - including sticking points such as financial contributions to help poorer countries deal with global warming and the scale of emissions cuts - before 130 leaders gather for the last days of the summit at the end of the week.

Ethiopian prime minister Meles Zenawi has put forward proposals to assist African nations in meeting the challenge of global warming, through predictable funding that will not detract from existing aid priorities and a global tax to raise funds. The suggestion, which has been backed by Mr Brown, comes after poor countries led by African nations staged a walkout over accusations that richer countries were seeking to dodge their obligations to cut carbon emissions.

While tensions continued between negotiating blocs inside the conference centre, protesters outside were planning a "mass non-violent civil disobedience" to expose what they see as the failure of the process of negotiations. Activists plan to descend on the conference centre where the talks are being held at noon, where they aim to join up with others staging a walkout of the summit to protest at the influence of rich countries and businesses in efforts to agree a global deal to tackle climate change.

Campaign groups are also angry at the exclusion of many of their participants from the conference centre, which UN officials said was because more than 45,000 people had registered for accreditation at the 15,000 capacity venue.

The UN conference's president, Connie Hedegaard, has warned there are still many obstacles in place to getting a deal, and ministers had to be very clear and focused over the next 48 hours "if we are to make it" to achieving a deal leaders can agree to by the end of the week.

The conference has also heard from a series of high profile figures from Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and former Irish President Mary Robinson to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and former US vice president Al Gore.

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