Developing nations label climate accord a 'farce'

Last Friday the US, Brazil, South Africa, India and China agreed to a non-binding letter of intent to lower carbon emissions by 2020.

It established that global temperatures must not rise by more than 2 degrees Celsius but did not set any target for greenhouse gas emission cuts.

The accord did not get the unanimous vote required by the UN to be enforceable.

And on Monday Brazilian Premier Lula da Silva slammed the US role at the summit and claimed that Washington had led many European countries and Japan to end the Kyoto protocol "and leave nothing in its place, so that they too will not be committed to targets."

On the same day Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez branded the Copenhagen conference "a fallacy, a farce" and slammed "imperial, arrogant Obama, who does not listen, who imposes his positions and even threatens developing countries."

He criticised the US for conspiring to impose a "suicidal" and non-binding agreement on the world.

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) also called for a fair and binding agreement next year which sets far-reaching targets for emissions reductions by industrialised countries, "combined with ambitious and verifiable actions in developing countries."

ITUC general secretary Guy Ryder stressed the need for a binding agreement that "delivers a habitable planet, decent work, binding emissions reductions and financial support for the most vulnerable."

And China slammed British Climate Change Minister Edward Miliband on Tuesday for writing a "baseless and politically motivated" editorial in The Observer at the weekend in which he accused Beijing of "hijacking" the climate talks.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu condemned rich states which are "absolutely unqualified to censure developing countries" on climate change.

Many of them have not honoured existing commitments to curb global warming.

Those responsible for the editorial should "correct their mistakes, fulfil their obligations to developing countries in an earnest way and stay away from activities that hinder the international community's co-operation in coping with climate change," she said.