Governments are unlikely to agree on all the details of a new global climate change deal when they meet in Copenhagen next month, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday. While optimistic that the 192 countries will be able to reach some sort of political agreement, Ban warned it would not be the last word on a successor to the United Nations' carbon-cutting Kyoto Protocol.
"We need the political will because if there is the political will I am sure that there is a political way that we can conclude a binding agreement in Copenhagen," he said after talks with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in London. "I am reasonably optimistic that Copenhagen will be a very important milestone. At the same time, realistically speaking, we may not be able to have all the words on detailed matters."
Instead, countries should aim to agree on four points: the level of rich nations' emissions cuts; poor nations' plans to reduce their emissions; a financial package to help developing countries to adapt and a system for managing the process.
Speaking later at a conference on religion and the environment near London, Ban urged rich states to take the initiative. "First and foremost, the developed countries should lead this campaign, considering all these historic responsibilities and also considering that they are the countries that have most of the capacities - financial and technological," he said.