According to several observers there´s one major obstacle at the UN climate talks in Copenhagen in order to agree on a binding political agreement.  It’s the issue on compensation for developing countries from the developed world. Africa is demanding billions of dollars in compensation from rich countries to cope with climate change, because it contributes only 4% to the world’s total emissionsEmissions of greenhouse gases, greenhouse gas precursors, and aerosols associated with human activities, including the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, land-use changes, livestock, fertilisation, etc. (IPCC).  And exactly the countries that are least responsible are suffering worst from the impacts of climate changeClimate change is a lasting change in weather patterns over long periods of time. It can be a natural phenomena and and has occurred on Earth even before people inhabited it. Quite different is a current situation that is also referred to as climate change, anthropogenic climate change, or ...!

UK-based Grantham Research Institute on ClimateClimate is typically defined as the average weather (or more rigorously a statistical description of the average in terms of the mean and variability) over a period of time, usually 30 years. These quantities are most often surface variables such as temperature, precipitation, and wind. Climate ... Change and the Environment estimates that frequent and severe floods, storms and droughts, losses of harvests, changes in rainfall patterns, and other effects of climate change will cost around 30 billion dollars a year by 2015, and between 50 billion and 100 billion dollars by 2020.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said that African negotiators were prepared to walk out of negotiations if they threatened to rape the continent. He downplayed changes of a deal being struck. He said that the goal must be that global warmingHuman activities are adding greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, to the atmosphere, which are enhancing the natural greenhouse effect. While the natural greenhouse effect is keeping average temperature on earth at about +15°C, this enhanced greenhouse effect ... does not go beyond 2°Celsius, and that the international community has a responsibility to agree on ways to finance efforts to reach this goal. Meles, a former rebel leader, represents the African Union and explains that  they will form a team empowered to negotiate on behalf of all member states of the African Union.  While he hasn’t specified the amount of money needed, experts expect Africa’s representatives to ask for about 200 billion dollars a year.

While on emissions progress is being made, the African Union fears that on the issue of funding, the climate talks is Copenhagen could be a failure for Africa.

It cannot be denied that the developed world has become so prosperous with the extensive use of coal and oil. Yet millions of the poorest people in the world pay the prize for this progression to modern lifestyle. They are already directly affected by the alarming impacts of climate change, caused by people thousands of miles away. Now we ask them to make the same progression and development-but without the use of cheap and dirty technologies.  There’s really no way of denying that it’s fair and necessary to provide those G 77 countries with the money to adapt to the changes that are already visible, and to develop on the basis of green technologies. Looking at China or India and saying that they’re  building coal-fired power stations, we must not forget that the rich 20% of people are still responsible for more than three quarters of the CO₂ in the atmosphere, and that there are millions of people who are affected by it, and yet still don’t even have electricityA form of energy having magnetic, radiant and chemical effects. Electric current is created by a flow of electrons., and all the development that comes with it.

British Climate change minister Ed Miliband said: “There will be people who want to say there’s an easy way out. I think that is wrong. Sticking your head in the sand is not an answer”.