Denmark urged world leaders on Saturday to "lock in" a commitment to implement climate policy measures to be agreed in December from the beginning of next year rather than waiting for existing rules to expire, Reuters reported. Governments are due to meet in the Danish capital Copenhagen on Dec. 7-18 to try to reach a climate accord that would replace provisions of the Kyoto Protocol expiring in 2012. But time is running short in the climate negotiations. Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told an international meeting of parliamentarians in the Danish capital that the climate talks have been "painfully slow" and warned that they could fail to reach an ambitious agreement in time. "The sense of urgency is setting in as we approach the deadline," Rasmussen said. He said it was still possible to outline the core elements of a climate agreement, and he urged political leaders to commit themselves to implement immediately a binding deal to be made in Copenhagen from the beginning of next year. "I suggest that we lock in the determination to act already by Copenhagen and seek political commitment for immediate implementation," he said. He said the Copenhagen agreement should be ambitious, binding and concrete and provide the basis for "world leaders to commit to specific immediate action, starting in January 2010". "In this way, Copenhagen could provide for immediate action based on a comprehensive set of binding, political commitments from world leaders," the prime minister said. Rasmussen said he would seek to enrol an ever widening circle of heads of state and government to accelerate the Copenhagen process. "Negotiations have been ongoing for almost two years and progress has been painfully slow," he said. "Clearly, at current speed, we will not make it in the remaining weeks." Rasmussen said progress had been made on some fronts, such as measures to adapt to climate change, technology and measures related to forestation and deforestation. But he said crucial political questions remain unresolved, including the commitment of industrialised nations to ambitious mid-term targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and developing countries" commitments to national measures to curb growth in their emissions. In less than a week, environment and climate ministers will meet in Barcelona, and in mid-November another ministerial meeting will be held in Copenhagen ahead of the December summit. Lack of progress has led some governments and commentators to suggest the Copenhagen conference should aim for a partial deal and leave a global treaty until later. But Danish Climate and Energy Minister Connie Hedegaard told the gathering a partial agreement was not feasible because the various aspects of a deal, such as finance and adaptation measures, were interlinked. "I believe that that will not fly," Hedegaard said. "We must make politicians agree on a binding agreement now," she told the meeting of legislators from 16 major economies. Hedegaard said financing for a climate deal was vital. "I firmly believe that without money there will be no deal." --SPA
