Delegates from developing nations at the Copenhagen conference were reportedly incensed after reading a leaked document purporting to show that a group of wealthy nations intends to sideline the UN in future climate change negotiations and place CO2 emissions restrictions on poorer nations. The Guardian reported that the so-called “Danish text” — reputedly drafted by wealthy nations including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Denmark — would depart from the principles of the Kyoto Protocol requiring industrialized nations to commit to binding greenhouse gas emissions while poorer nations were not compelled to act. The draft text would hand control over financing climate change projects in the developing world to the World Bank and would make funds given to poorer nations for climate change adaptation contingent on those nations taking actions to reduce emissions. The Guardian reported that the draft text also would limit per capita carbon emissions in poor countries to 1.4 tons by 2050 while allowing citizens of rich countries to emit 2.7 tons. Meanwhile, the European Union said it was withdrawing an offer to reduce CO2 emissions 30 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 because other nations, including the U.S., had made inadequate emissions reduction offers in the past month. The EU is still standing by its 20 percent reduction commitment.
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