NGOs excluded but developing nations stand up to rich countries

The voice of civil society may have been effectively kept out of the UN climate talks today - with NGOs refused entry following this morning’s walkout protest, but heads of states from developing nations have been outspoken on the failure so far to commit to adequate emission cuts.

Speeches were delayed this morning after China and other countries objected to another new text which had reportedly been produced by the Danish hosts of the talk - rather than being discussed by all negotiators. Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who is now presiding over the talks following the resignation of COP President Connie Hedgegaard this morning, denied the existence of a new text and called on negotiators to stop focusing on the process.

The Ethiopian Prime Minister, H.E, Meles Zenawi, speaking on behalf of the African nations, said that Africa was already “paying with the misery and death of its people for the wealth and wellbeing that was created in the developed countries through carbon intensive development.” He urged nations to support a $10 billion start-up fund to fund urgent adaptation and mitigation - scaling down the demand of some African countries, but seeking more funding than is currently on the table.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said the ghost of capitalism was stalking the talks. The rich were destroying the planet - with 7% of the global population responsible for 50% of global pollution.

If the climate was a bank, he added, the Americans would have saved it.

The President of the Seychelles, James Michel, said the offers on the table were “a rich man’s deal” which would only reinforce existing inequalities.

EU Commission President José Manuel Barroso said he believed an ambitious deal could be achieved, with a binding agreement in the next year. And he reiterated the EU’s commitment to 20% cuts by 2020, increasing to 30% if the US and China made similar commitments.