Leaders' arrivals

Environment ministers have struggled to craft a coherent text for the leaders to sign because they have so far failed to close a gap over how far the developing world should join industrialized countries in cutting carbon emissions.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that the news she had received out of Copenhagen was not good.

"At the moment, the negotiations do not look promising but I of course hope that the presence of more than 100 heads of state and government can give the necessary impetus to the event," she said in a speech to the lower house of parliament.

As the current holder of the EU's rotating presidency, the Swedish government also said the chances of nations reaching a compromise were shrinking.

"It doesn't look good, we are still on procedural matters," a ranking member of the Swedish delegation told the German Press Agency dpa.

With just two days remaining, delegates meeting at the UN climate change summit in the Danish capital are coming under increased pressure to reach a deal limiting global warming.

More than a hundred heads of state and government are descending on Copenhagen on Thursday and Friday in a bid to break a deadlock between developed and developing nations over the depth of emissions cuts and the amount of climate aid for poor countries.

Environment ministers already at the summit have warned that the process was at a fragile stage, with British Energy and Climate Secretary Ed Miliband commenting that "people can kill this process, kill the agreement with process arguments. It is very dangerous at the moment."

Leaders scheduled to address the summit over the next two days include Merkel, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. US President Barack Obama is scheduled to arrive at the climax of the gathering on Friday.

Wednesday saw a continuation of violent protests outside the conference center, with Danish police using tear gas and batons, and arresting around 260 activists.

Inside the summit, some participants reported surprise when the president of the UN meeting, Dane Connie Hedegaard, resigned, saying it would be more appropriate for Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen to lead proceedings once the mass of heads of state arrived in the coming days.

Forest fund

Wednesday also saw six rich countries pledge to slow deforestation, an agreement considered the first major advance at the stalling 12-day summit.

The United States joined Australia, Britain, France, Japan and Norway in a program to run from 2010 to 2012 aimed at halting the loss of the world's forests in a bid to prevent further climate change.

The six countries agreed to set up a $3.5 billion (2.4 billion euro) fund to fight deforestation, which scientists believe is a key contributor to rising global temperatures they say are threatening the planet. The US will contribute $1 billion to the fund.

In a joint statement, the countries described the fund as "an initial investment" in developing countries that submit "ambitious" plans for preserving their forests instead of logging the resource for timber.

"We collectively commit to scaling up our finance thereafter in line with opportunities and the delivery of results," they said.

"As part of an ambitious and comprehensive deal, we recognize the significant role of international public finance in supporting developing countries' efforts to slow, halt and eventually reverse deforestation," the statement continued.

The planet's lungs

Forests are considered a vital bulwark against global warming, as trees soak up carbon dioxide from the air.

The carbon is stored until the trees rot, are chopped down and burned, at which point it is released back into the atmosphere as a heat-trapping carbon gas. Commercial logging and the use of forested land for agriculture also release gases otherwise trapped in the soil.

Deforestation was estimated to be responsible for nearly a fifth of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, but new studies have reduced this figure to 12 percent.

The scheme, called Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD), has had wide support from rich and poor countries in the talks in the Danish capital and kick-start funding has been a key demand from developing nations.

"Protecting the world's forests is not a luxury, it's a necessity," US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in the statement from Copenhagen. "This substantial commitment is reflective of our recognition that international public finance must play a role in developing countries' efforts to slow, halt and reverse deforestation," he said.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg told reporters the deforestation deal could "help the atmosphere for negotiators in Copenhagen.

"If we manage to stop deforestation, we'll have averted a third of all emissions we need to cut by 2020," Stoltenberg added.

sms/dfm/bk/AFP/Reuters
Editor: Trinity Hartman