Commonwealth summit - Trinidad and Tobago

Climate deal in sight ahead of Copenhagen: UN chief

Article published on the 2009-11-28 Latest update 2009-11-28 14:47 TU

Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Trinidad and Tobago
(Photo: Reuters)

Hopes were high Saturday that a global climate pact is within reach after rich nations at a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting offered to help poorer countries bear the costs of implementing a deal.

The 53-nation body embracing major global players like Britain, Australia and India, and smaller island states like Nauru and the Maldives, were expected to issue a joint commitment to tackling climate change.

"Success in Copenhagen is in sight," said UN chief Ban Ki-moon of the climate negotiations in the Danish capital December 7-18.

He and Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen both addressed the Commonwealth meeting in Trinidad and Tobago, even though they are not members. They praised a move by Britain and France to launch a 10-billion-dollar fund for developing nations.

By showing willingness to meet "the need for money on the table," it was now "realistic" to expect Copenhagen to result in the framework for a treaty to succeed the Kyoto Protocol which expires in 2012, Rasmussen said.

But he stressed the deal to be hammered out by some 87 leaders including US President Barack Obama must include "commitments, numbers and precise language."

For the first time, Indian Premier Manmohan Singh Saturday said that he was willing to commit his country to ambitious global carbon emission cuts, provided others shared the burden.

China, the world's biggest polluter, has vowed to reduce carbon intensity as measured by unit of gross domestic product by 40-45 percent by 2020, compared to 2005 levels.