PM positive over emissions deal

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said that he is working hard to ensure a global deal on tackling carbon emissions at next month's environmental negotiations in Copenhagen.

Speaking following a meeting with UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, Mr Brown said that the pair believed an agreement was possible.

"We have been talking about what we can do to ensure that every country can be part of a deal.

"We believe it is possible to get a deal on long term targets, short term targets and get a financial deal in place for developing countries."

Mr Ban said: "We are going through a crucially important period for the whole of humanity. Developed countries must come out with ambitious targets in cutting greenhouse gases by 2020.

"We need the political will. If there is political will I am sure that there is a way to get a binding agreement in Copenhagen."

Last week Mr Brown declared a "breakthrough" as Europe agreed to make a conditional financial offer to fund their share of the cost of the cuts - put at 100 billion euros a year (£89.6 billion) of which annual public funding has been estimated at 22-50 billion euros (£19.7 billion - £44.8 billion).

The EU's combined share of that would be between 7-10bn euros (£6.2 billion - £8.96 billion) a year by 2020.

UK officials said that, subject to the "conditional offer" being accepted in Copenhagen, the UK share of the EU contribution would work out at about £1bn a year by 2020.

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