Dec 17, 2009

Copenhagen summit veering towards farce

The climate talks are at least 18 hours behind schedule as world leaders are set to arrive in Copenhagen for the grand finale of the conference.

The climate change summit in Copenhagen was in jeopardy tonight with the complex negotiations falling far behind schedule as the climate secretary, Ed Miliband, warned of a "farce".

With just two days remaining, the inability to overcome disagreements about the shape of a deal to combat global warming led to hours of inaction while outside the negotiations police clashed with protesters who broke through a security cordon but failed in an attempt to storm the conference center.

One person close to the talks said they had made no progress. "What people don't realize is that we are not really ready for when the leaders arrive to finish the conference. The talks are 18 hours late."

More here.