COPENHAGEN, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Developing countries on Wednesday warned against discarding the Kyoto Protocol and protested a Danish attempt to supersede it with a compromise text without consulting them.

    Denmark is hosting the United Nations climate change talks.

    "We have seen that developed country parties to the Kyoto Protocol are seeking to dismantle the protocol," which set binding emissions reduction targets for industrialized countries, said Nafie Ali Nafie, head of the Sudanese delegation, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

    The group of developing nations is present at the high-level negotiations at the Copenhagen talks.

    Nafie said developed countries intended to undermine the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" by throwing away the Kyoto Protocol.

    He and representatives from the alliance of small island states in the talks stressed the need to maintain the two-track structure of negotiations of which the Kyoto Protocol is an essential instrument.

    The two-track negotiation mechanism refers to the two working groups of the conference -- one is tasked with amending the Kyoto Protocol and another is with working out a long-term cooperative action.

    The mechanism was established in the 2007 Bali Action Plan, under which developed countries should come up with emissions reduction targets for the second commitment period of the protocol after the first expires in 2012 and discuss how to help developing countries with their mitigation and adaptation efforts.

    Ethiopian Prime Minister Males Zenawi, speaking on behalf of the African countries, said funding for adaption and mitigation should rise to 100 billion U.S. dollars a year by 2020.

    He told delegates the funding should start by 2013 and reach 50billion dollars a year by 2015, with the funds allocated for adaption to vulnerable and poor countries and regions, such as Africa and small island states.

    In the short term, Zenawi said, a start-up fund of 10 billion dollars a year for the 2010-2012 period should be established to address urgent needs of adaption and mitigation. He also suggested that 40 percent of the start-up funds should be earmarked for Africa.

    Just before the start of the high-level negotiations, China and a number of other developing nations protested an attempt by the Danish presidency of the talks to put forward draft outcome texts without consulting other parties.

    "This is a party-driven process. You can't just put forward some texts from the sky," China's chief negotiator Su Wei said at the conference after an announcement by the Danish presidency on the draft.

    It has been agreed that the only legitimate basis for discussion on the outcome of the Copenhagen talks will be the results of the work by the two working groups, Su said.

    The move by the Danish presidency "would very much endanger a successful outcome in Copenhagen."

    The texts also draw criticism from India, Brazil and other developing nations, but the top UN climate official, Yvo de Boer, tried to play down the Danish move.

    The Danish presidency prepared the texts to "offer a tool that can facilitate the process of decision-making" as a number of critical issues still need to be resolved, he said.

    "But ultimately it's up to the parties and governments that are represented here to decide what they want to use as the basis for their work," he told reporters.

    Many countries are demanding a legally-binding climate treaty be reached in Copenhagen, but divisions between developed and developing nations, mainly over emissions reduction and financing, is eroding chances of such a deal.

    World leaders are arriving in Copenhagen to endorse efforts to reach a deal. Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen has replaced Danish Minister Connie Hedegaard as president of the UN climate talks for the final summit starting later this week.

Group of 77 stresses need to keep two-track negotiation process

    COPENHAGEN, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Group of 77 and China on Wednesday stressed again the need to retain the two-track negotiation mechanism, warning against any attempts to dismantle the Kyoto Protocol, which stipulated binding emissions cut targets for industrialized countries.

    "We have seen that developed country parties to the Kyoto Protocol are seeking to dismantle the protocol itself," said NafieAli Nafie, head of the Sudanese delegation, who spoke on behalf ofG77 and China at the high level segment of the Copenhagen climate change conference.  Full story

Binding climate deal expected in 2010 as Copenhagen conference approaches end

    COPENHAGEN, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday called on negotiators at the climate talks in Copenhagen to complete a legally binding climate treaty "as early as possible in 2010."

    "Our goal is to lay the foundation for a legally binding climate treaty as early as possible in 2010," Ban told the opening session of the high level segment of the UN climate change conference.  Full story

Obama hard-pressed before Copenhagen meeting

    WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama will attend the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen later this week. However, despite his administration's efforts to readjust U.S. policy on the issue, what Obama has promised to do fall far short of the expectation of the international community.

    How the United States, the world biggest economy with the highest per capita carbon dioxide emissions, responds to climate change has a direct bearing on the international community's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  Full story

U.S. unveils plan to promote clean technologies in developing countries

    COPENHAGEN, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- The United States on Monday announced a new plan to promote clean energy technologies in developing countries, despite its reluctance to make more concessions for a deal at the UN climate change conference.

    "The program will accelerate deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies in developing countries, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, fighting energy poverty and improving public health for the most vulnerable, particularly women and children," the United States said in a press release on the sidelines of the climate change conference. Full story

Extreme weather affects 55 million people in 2009

    COPENHAGEN Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Extreme weather events affected 55 million people around the world in 2009, a disaster reduction agency said Monday.

    At a joint press conference in Copenhagen, the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) said that although preliminary reports showed there were fewer natural disasters in 2009, the majority were weather-related. Full story

Failure in Copenhagen conference not an option: official

    COPENHAGEN, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- China has great expectations for the Copenhagen climate change conference, which must be a success in order to launch measures to avoid calamitous global warming, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei said on Sunday.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei receives interview in Copenhagen, capital of Denmark, Dec. 13, 2009. (Xinhua/Shang Jun) Photo Gallery>>>

    Government ministers were arriving in Copenhagen over the weekend to work for an agreement on two draft texts that emerged from a week of discussions at the UN climate talks amid expectations that negotiators from over 190 countries will seal a deal to fight climate change. Full story