Copenhagen Summit
December 18, 2009
The EU has voiced concern at lack of progress. A leaked internal UN memo says pledges tabled so far to cut greenhouse-gas emissions would doom the world in coming decades to average atmospheric warming of three degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels and fail to stabilise the trend under two degrees.
On Thursday evening, the EU's Swedish presidency and the European Commission issued a joint statement calling for "a meeting with relevant players to be convened this evening to help build a consensus for a global deal."
According to the statement, the goal of the meeting would be "to decisively step up the negotiations."
In an earlier statement, the EU said it was concerned that not enough progress had been made. It said that parties should "urgently go to the outer limits of their flexibility" to reach a deal that the 120 world leaders attending the conference could sign.
"The European Union has put concrete proposals on the table and maintains its conditional offer to do more, if others, especially the major emitters, improve their offers as well," the statement said.
Rising sea levels
Low-lying nations at risk from rising sea levels want the rise limited to 1.5 degrees. The 27-member EU has already pledged to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent over the next 10 years, and says it will do more if other nations are also willing to match that pledge.
US President Barack Obama is scheduled to meet with 120 world leaders who are trying to reach agreement on climate change.
German news agency dpa reports that Obama will meet separately with several leaders on Friday, including Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, according to the schedule released by the White House.
Agreement between China and the United States is seen as crucial by negotiators from around the world to reach a deal on fighting global warming.
nrt/dpa/AFP/Reuters
Editor: Ian Johnson