Police spray tear gas at climate protestors
Some protestors have been arrested at the climate change summit in Copenhagen
Wednesday, 16, Dec 2009 05:36
By Anisa Kadri.
Police and protestors have clashed outside the Copenhagen climate change summit venue.
Campaigners are incensed by the limited progress made towards securing a deal on climate change.
Activists were forced away from the Bella Centre, where the conference is taking place, by the authorities' use of tear gas and batons. Some protestors and police have been injured.
Police have blocked entry into the summit venue, meaning that prospective delegates such as campaign group Friends of the Earth discovered that their badges were no longer valid. In addition, the BBC reports that the British prime minister Gordon Brown has been told to remain within the Bella Centre for the time being as a security measure.
Also today, Danish environment minister Connie Hedegaard has been replaced by the Danish prime minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen as head of the UN climate change conference.
Connie Hedegaard outlined her reason for resigning: "With so many heads of state and government having arrived, it's appropriate that the prime minister of Denmark presides."
However, it is thought that relations are strained between the prime minister and Ms Hedegaard's respective departments.
Three days before the deal is scheduled to be completed, countries are still deliberating whether to increase the global temperature rise to 2C or to 1.5C, and are also unsure about other issues including emission cuts and providing aid to poorer countries.
The UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon suggested to the Financial Times that a deal on climate change may not include money going to developing countries, but he enforced that "there needs to be some initial arrangement".
According to the BBC, Ethiopian president Meles Zenawi will suggest ways to raise funds such as taxes on shipping fuel and aviation, while other African countries will not endorse these measures.
Poorer countries believe that Danish officials have adapted the nature of the talks to match the EU's hopes for these negotiations.
Meanwhile, Gordon Brown admitted to Sky News that he thought a deal on climate change would be an "uphill struggle".
The prime minister added: "Many may walk away from a deal."
However, Barack Obama's spokesperson has said the American president "believes that we can get... an operational agreement that makes sense in Copenhagen, over the next few days".