BEIJING, Dec. 9 -- World leaders are gathering in Montreal, Canada for a United Nations climate conference. It's the first such event since the Kyoto Protocol took effect in February.

    Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin opened the high-level phase of the conference Wednesday.

    "We're in this together. The developed world cannot walk away from its responsibility. It is as clear and as simple as that." Martin said.

    The Kyoto Protocol was negotiated in 1997. It requires 35 industrialized countries to curb emissions of carbon dioxide and five other gases to reduce the greenhouse effect.

    Among major developed nations, only the United States and Australia have rejected the agreement.

    On Wednesday, the US has rejected a Canadian bid to draw Washington into future global talks on climate change. This would include negotiations to extend mandatory cutbacks in carbon emissions.

    US delegation head Paula Dobriansky says they do not believe progress cannot be made through the formalized discussions.

    Meanwhile, Arctic natives have announced filing an international human rights complaint against the US.

    This is to pressure Washington to cap greenhouse gases. They blame the gasses for accelerated warming that melts their icy homeland.


    (Source: CRIENGLISH.com)