Brown warning over climate row

Gordon Brown has warned Europe's leaders to put a price on tackling climate change or risk the breakdown of crucial talks in Copenhagen in December.

The Prime Minister said if the EU baulks at agreeing multi-billion pound figures now, it will lose the initiative at the 10-day marathon search for a global environment agreement.

The EU countries have already upped the stakes for Copenhagen by adding aviation and shipping to the sectors earmarked for ambitious CO2 emissions cuts.

But now EU leaders are arguing over whether to reinforce the targets by declaring how much they are prepared to pay to developing nations to help them meet the cost of carrying out any global accord.

The issue is vital to ensure the developing world signs up to a climate change deal many poor countries cannot afford without help.

Mr Brown told a press conference after arriving for the summit: "The world needs a programme for climate change. Unless we have programmes for financing climate change, then we will not get an agreement at Copenhagen."

But he is up against German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who thinks the EU's climate change offer in Copenhagen should not make any financial commitment until the rest of the world acknowledges the scale of the burden.

The UK, Denmark and the Netherlands are ready to commit to funding levels now, but others dispute the figures and the share-out of the national burdens developed countries should take on to ease the difficulties of the developing world.

But Mr Brown said Europe should "make this happen" by setting out the estimated 100 billion euros (£89.6 billion) a year by 2020 the European Commission says will need to be found globally.

British officials said the EU's share of that works out at between 30-40 billion euros (£6.2 billion - £8.9 billion) a year and the UK is ready to pay £1 billion a year by 2020.