The UN Climate Summit opened in the Danish capital today. The main areas for discussion during the two-week conference include:
· Targets to curb greenhouse gas emissions, in particular by developed countries
· Financial support for mitigation of and adaptation to climate change by developing countries
· A carbon trading scheme aimed at ending the destruction of the world's forests by 2030.
Any agreement made at Copenhagen is intended to supplant the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on climate change, which expires in 2012.
In July, the G8 bloc of industrialised countries and some major developing countries adopted a target of keeping the global average temperature rise to 2C. However, now the G77/China bloc - which speaks on behalf of developing countries - is discussing whether to demand a much tougher target of 1.5C.
A number of African delegations are backing the argument made by small island states that 2C will bring major impacts to their countries.
The African Union has threatened to walk out of the talks if industrialised countries do not agree to help poor ones pay for the transition to cleaner economies.
UN chief on climate talks, Mr de Boer said offers of finance for clean technology for poor countries were also coming through and that talks were progressing on a long-term vision of massive cuts by 2050.
On Monday, South Africa became the latest country to make an offer - saying it would cut by one-third the growth of its carbon emissions over the next decade, subject to getting more funding and help from wealthier countries.
World leaders who have pledged to attend include US President Barack Obama, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Date Published : 12/7/2009
