The UN Copenhagen summit on climate change has been thrown off course after leaked documents revealed plans to hand more power to rich nations and sideline the role of the UN in future climate change negotiations.
The so-called the Danish text is a secret draft agreement. It sets out unequal limits on per capita carbon emissions for developed and developing countries in 2050. Under the proposals, people in rich countries would be able to emit nearly twice as much.
The document, leaked to the Guardian, was worked on by "the circle of commitment", a group of individuals understood to include representatives of the UK, the US, and Denmark.
It signifies a departure from the principle that rich nations, which are responsible for the vast majority of CO2 emissions, should take firmer action than developing countries.
Under the agreement, the Kyoto Protocol - which protects this principle - would be abandoned. Control of climate change finance would be transferred to the World Bank, and money to aid poorer nations to cope with climate change would be conditional on specific actions.
The Kyoto Protocol is currently the only legally binding treaty on carbon emissions. This draft, if adopted, would mark a major shift in the balance of obligations.
An anonymous diplomat told the Guardian: "It is being done in secret. Clearly the intention is to get [Barack] Obama and the leaders of other rich countries to muscle it through when they arrive next week. It effectively is the end of the UN process."
The text was intended to provide a framework for world leaders to work from, which would be adapted by countries over the next week. This sidelines the UN negotiating process.
