Brussels Bickering: EU Climate Stalemate Could Threaten Global Deal

"If the European Union does not get its act together on a clear climate agreement and it does not continue pressing ahead globally, that would relax a lot of pressure on the US," Christian Egenhofer, a climate change expert who is a senior fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies, told SPIEGEL ONLINE. "And that could very well lead to Copenhagen being a non-event."

Development from Disasters Network - Rich nations lack climate commitment: RI

At a recent ministerial meeting in Poland, Rachmat said many developed nations, including the United States and European nations, were attempting to renege on emission-reduction commitments by using the economic downturn as an excuse.

"I am very depressed about this recent development. The rich nations try to hide behind the economic crisis to stall their commitment to finance mitigation in developing nations," he said.

"If this happens, the Bali road map cannot be implemented."