U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said participants of climate talks in Copenhagen are loosing precious time to address the issue of global warming.
The United Nations Climate Change Conference in the Danish capital will enter its final day on Friday, with world leaders trying to agree on global measures to curb greenhouse gas emissions beyond 2012. However, negotiators have so far failed to settle the differences.
The talks were suspended on Wednesday over a dispute between the world's biggest polluters, the United States and China.
"We all know there are real challenges that remain in the hours left to these negotiations," the U.S. Secretary of State told conference participants, adding it was "no secret that we have lost precious time in these past days."
Clinton called for countries to drop the "us versus them" mentality when it comes to climate change.
"We're running out of time. It's unfortunate that there have been problems with the process, difficulties with certain parties being willing to come to the table, all kinds of discussions and disagreements, sometimes about the past rather than about the future," she said.
The 15th UN climate change conference, the result of two years of international talks on a binding treaty to cut global carbon emissions, began in the Danish capital on December 7. The talks bring together about 15,000 participants from 192 countries.
Scientists have warned that the emissions cuts so far offered at the summit would fail to prevent a catastrophic rise in temperatures.
The Kyoto Protocol, a legally binding agreement restricting carbon emissions, expires in 2012. A new deal is needed to continue efforts beyond 2012.
The United States did not sign the original Kyoto Protocol.
MOSCOW, December 18 (RIA Novosti)
