United Nations Radio

With just a few hours to go on this the final day of the UN climate summit in Copenhagen, there's still lack of a political agreement which the more than 120 heads of state and government attending this summit are supposed to sign.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Copenhagen

Broad disputes continued behind closed doors throughout the night and this morning between wealthy nations and developing ones.

World leaders worked into the early morning hours to forge a political declaration for today's summit - a document expected to envision emissions-cutting targets for rich nations and billions of dollars for poor countries, but are likely to fall well short of a legally binding pact.

As delegates entered the Bella Centre earlier than usual Friday morning, UN Radio sought their views as to whether they were hopeful for a successful outcome of this week's summit.

"Let's hope so/Definitely, I hope so/Let's hope so/I hope so/I hope so/Yes/I'm hopeful for some clarity and an agreement, yes/Doesn't look like it/ Yeah, of course, why not?; Something."

Small island developing States are reported to be the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. They say they have contributed the least to the phenomenon, but have the most to lose.

And, St. Lucia's Prime Minister, Stephenson King, who has lead responsibility for the environment in the Caribbean Community, is not confident of a strong, binding outcome document from the summit.

Stephenson King

"I must admit that the likely outcome of this meeting might not be what AOSIS and CARICOM have been seeking for quite a while. I am not too optimistic at this time. It seems to me that we have got to a point where there is still a lack of a clear vision in terms of the text that is likely to come out."

AOSIS is the Alliance of small Island States - a grouping of 43 small island developing states in the Caribbean, the Pacific, and the Indian Ocean.

The bright spot is that negotiations are continuing, here, in Copenhagen as delegates work to come up with bridge the divide that from the start has dogged this two-week UN climate conference, which aims to reach agreements on deeper reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases largely blamed for global warming.

Donn Bobb, United Nations Radio in Copenhagen
(duration: 2'06")