Copenhagen talks stalled by green puppeteers

DONGers' cars burnt in protests

International climate negotiations in Copenhagen were reportedly stalled today, as delegates from developing nations - some working hand-in-glove with Western environmental activists - expressed their objections to rumoured plans by rich nations to replace the established Kyoto Protocol with a new framework.

The BBC reports that the so-called G77-China bloc, composed of 130 mostly poor nations, has "suspended cooperation" with the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, aka COP15.

Many of the poorer G77-China nations have only the minimum UN-funded two person delegations at the conference, and it is well known that such delegations are "assisted" by comparatively well-funded Western environmental activist groups. In many ways, the current argument is between two groups in Western society, rather than between the poor world and the rich.

According to the BBC, the activists who throng the conference chanted "we stand with Africa - Kyoto targets now" earlier today.

The greens and the poor countries want a continuation of carbon controls under the Kyoto model, under which developed nations cut their emissions and large green subsidies flow to the developing world - which is still allowed to increase emissions from their current low levels. Fast-growing nations like China and India also prefer this plan, as they can continue to increase their emissions too.

British climate secretary Ed Miliband has said that continuing with the Kyoto model would be "irresponsible for the climate", as it would leave major emitters such as China without targets for cuts.

A draft text of a new agreement more to the richer countries' liking, which incidentally would sideline the UN at future negotiations and remove its control of climate aid payments, was leaked to the media last week, causing much of the present furore.

As delegates and activists wrangled, street protests took place in the city outside. Reuters reports that nine cars, including some belonging to Danish state-owned energy utility DONG Energy, were torched by unknown arsonists overnight. ®