Negotiators and ministers at the Copenhagen climate change talks failed in their key aim yesterday – to have a deal on greenhouse gas emissions ready for their heads of state and government to sign, as the majority arrived last night.
The chances of a historic agreement on climate change – the first that would be agreed among all countries – remained “in the balance”, said Ed Miliband, the UK's climate secretary.
Today marks the final sprint of a marathon that has carried on for nearly two decades. Many times, such as at the 1997 conference in Japan that produced the Kyoto protocol, countries have looked close to agreeing, only to be thwarted at the last minute. In the case of Kyoto, it was the US's failure to ratify that ensured there would be no global commitment.