Rich countries are unlikely to come up with specific offers of financial assistance to the developing world at next week's Copenhagen climate change conference, the United Nations has admitted.
But Connie Hedegaard, the Danish environment minister and conference chairwoman, said such commitments are crucial to persuading developing countries such as China and India to formalise their domestic commitments to curb emissions.
Yvo de Boer, the UN's top climate change official, said rich nations could pledge an overall sum for the funding they would collectively deliver by 2020. “I think they will be able to agree on the fact that a longer-term $100bn (€66bn, £60bn) a year will be needed and will have an agreement on the short-term funding [for the next three to five years],” Mr de Boer said.