Split Comes up in Developing Bloc in Copenhagen

On day three of Copenhagen Summit on climate change, a major fissure has come up in the bloc of developing nations.

Small island states and African nations vulnerable to climate impacts made a strong demand for a legally-binding deal, much tougher than the Kyoto Protocol.

To thins, bigger developing countries like India and China put up an opposition, fearing that tougher action would check their economic growth.

Midway the discussions, the Tuvalu delegation walked out when it seemed that the issue might be sidelined. Tuvalu’s negotiator Ian Fry made clear that his country could accept nothing less than full discussion of its proposal for a new legal protocol.

The split is unusual within the developing bloc as it generally speaks in one voice.