The UNEP chief's statements came in the wake of the negotiations on how implement the Kyoto Protocol in The Hague fell apart in the final hours of the conference. The two weeks of talks on the rules of implementation for the climate change treaty fell apart in the final hours as the United States and European Union could not come to a consensus on key issues such as how much credit countries will get for protecting forests that would absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Carbon dioxide is the principal greenhouse gas believed to be behind changes in the global climate.
But an economic one as well. It is perhaps the most complex piece of multilateral diplomacy ever conducted and the chairman's proposal to have, in addition to regular contributions, a multi-million dollar adaptation fund, as part of a new one billion dollar package available to developing countries. And small island states, contribute action on climate change. Comments about this story. The Earth Times All rights reserved.