UN: global warming treaty is crucial

The United Nations climate change chief, Christiana Figueres, urged governments to make real steps towards a new treaty to fight global warming or risk throwing talks into doubt. Countries must identify achievable goals ahead of December's climate-change summit in Mexico so that progress can be made toward a global treaty, she said. Ms Figueres told 3,000 delegates in the Chinese city of Tianjin to try to reach agreement on what should follow the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.

The talks have been hobbled by lack of trust between rich and poor nations over climate funds, demand for transparency over emissions and anger about the size of cuts offered by rich nations.