COPENHAGEN, Denmark - December 15, 2009 - The Copenhagen climate summit is in chaos after poor countries walked out en masse on Monday morning.
The poor countries left negotiations because they are concerned that the Kyoto protocol, which aims to tackle climate change, will be abandoned. Some rich countries want a brand new climate treaty to replace Kyoto, to come out of the Copenhagen summit.
But poor countries want to make sure the Kyoto protocol, which forces rich countries to limit their greenhouse gas emissions, has a future.
Monday's walkout has left the summit in limbo as ministers, including Australia's Climate Change Minister Penny Wong, frantically try to fix the problem.
"An extension only of the Kyoto Protocol is not going to achieve the environmental outcome the world needs," said Minister Wong.
Australia does not want the Kyoto Protocol to be the only vehicle to tackle climate change because it does not include the United States or major developing countries like China and India.
Minister Wong said that without China and India on board, global efforts to tackle climate change would not work.
"We can resolve these issues if nations have the political will," she said.
Together with her Indian counterpart, she was supposed to be leading special talks to resolve issues around the greenhouse targets of developing countries and around international verification of countries' emissions.
Those talks are now on hold.
The poor countries left negotiations because they are concerned that the Kyoto protocol, which aims to tackle climate change, will be abandoned. Some rich countries want a brand new climate treaty to replace Kyoto, to come out of the Copenhagen summit.
But poor countries want to make sure the Kyoto protocol, which forces rich countries to limit their greenhouse gas emissions, has a future.
Monday's walkout has left the summit in limbo as ministers, including Australia's Climate Change Minister Penny Wong, frantically try to fix the problem.
"An extension only of the Kyoto Protocol is not going to achieve the environmental outcome the world needs," said Minister Wong.
Australia does not want the Kyoto Protocol to be the only vehicle to tackle climate change because it does not include the United States or major developing countries like China and India.
Minister Wong said that without China and India on board, global efforts to tackle climate change would not work.
"We can resolve these issues if nations have the political will," she said.
Together with her Indian counterpart, she was supposed to be leading special talks to resolve issues around the greenhouse targets of developing countries and around international verification of countries' emissions.
Those talks are now on hold.