FACTBOX-High and low points of Bali climate talks

Sat Dec 15, 2007 9:07am EST
 
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(Reuters) - U.N.-led climate change talks in Bali finally agreed on Saturday to launch negotiations on a new pact to fight global warming, after a last-minute U.S. reversal allowed a breakthrough.

Below is a summary of some of the high and low points of the two-week talks.

HIGHLIGHTS

DRAMATIC FINAL SESSION

A deal was only agreed after a day of high drama and emotional speeches, including several standing ovations, a last-minute plea for compromise by Indonesia's president and the head of the United Nations and booing for the U.S. delegation.

The exhausted-looking head of the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat, Yvo de Boer, rushed out near to tears after repeated criticism by China of a planning mistake that left their senior delegates outside the room when a key motion was proposed.

And after the U.S. refused to agree to a developing world proposal backed by all other delegations, Papua New Guinea delegate Kevin Conrad called on Washington to "get out of the way" if it didn't want to lead the fight against climate change.

The United States backed down, earning a round of applause from other delegates.

POLAR BEARS

Activists dressed as polar bears, despite the tropical heat, paraded outside the conference with signs saying "save humans", to remind delegates climate change is already hurting the poor.

AL GORE SPEAKS

Former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore swept into the talks like a movie-star, the day after picking up the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on climate change.

He kept an audience of hundreds spellbound and drew cheers and rapturous applause when he told them the United States was the main block to launching negotiations in Bali.

AUSTRALIA HANDS OVER KYOTO PAPERS

An announcement by a senior delegate on the opening day that Australia's new prime minister, Kevin Rudd, was going to hand over documents ratifying the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations as his first official act drew two rounds of applause.

Rudd said his own country was already suffering from global warming, and described climate change as one of humanity's great moral and economic challenges.  Continued...

 

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