Poznan, Poland - Former US vice president Al Gore fired up UN climate talks Friday with an impassioned plea for a global warming accord, saying human survival may be at risk unless rich and poor countries bridge their differences. Gore, who shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for drawing attention to climate change, got a hero's welcome from delegates as they wound up two weeks of talks that produced little progress on the most contentious issues.
He painted a grim picture of a hotter planet faced with melting glaciers, expanding deserts, flooding and stronger storms. Then, he blasted rich countries for seemingly worrying more about celebrities than an issue "that affects the survival of human civilization."
"We have to overcome the paralysis that has prevented us from acting and focus clearly and unblinkingly on this crisis, rather than spending so much time on OJ Simpson, Paris Hilton and Anna Nicole Smith," he told delegates wrapping up a 189-nation conference at Poznan, Poland.
Negotiators clapped when Gore evoked US president-elect Barack Obama's pledges to move beyond President George W Bush's climate policy and engage Washington "vigorously" in UN negotiations.
Obama's arrival is a critical shift as governments work toward a deal next December for industrialized and developing countries to cut emissions of gases blamed for global warming.
As delegates feted Gore, European Union leaders in Brussels removed an obstacle by agreeing on how each member country should contribute to clean-air targets. The main EU goal is to cut emissions 20 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020 -
While environmental groups criticized the EU accord as a surrender to polluting industries, the top UN climate official welcomed it as a good omen for negotiations meant to lead to an accord next year at Copenhagen, Denmark.
"The European Union's climate deal sends a clear message ... that difficult roadblocks can be overcome and resolved," said Yvo de Boer, head of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Still, few other rich countries have set specific goals for cutting emissions of heat-trapping gases, mainly carbon dioxide spewed out when fossil fuels burn.
Gore challenged the world to set ambitious targets and warned that even deeper emissions cuts would be needed in the future.
"The old divide between ... developed countries and developing countries is a divide that must become obsolete," he said.
Negotiators at the UN talks haggled Friday over financing for projects to help protect developing nations against effects of climate change, such as rising seas.
Rich nations have pushed for strong oversight rules for a fund that could one day dispense billions of dollars. Poor countries charged they faced unfair suspicion.
Any deal must include "assurances ... that the money will be used in the right way," EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said Friday.
Discord also flared when Poland presented key delegations with a draft statement that expressed resolve to keep moving toward an agreement.
The surprise proposal antagonized major countries like the US, EU and China, which felt it was out of place at a conference that dealt mainly with technical issues, European officials said.
"It was a diplomatic disaster," said France's secretary of state for ecology, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet.
Looking at the big picture, Gore found grounds for optimism that there would be a global deal next year.
He cited Obama's election, major clean-air measures in emerging economies like China and Brazil, steps by US states and cities to cut emissions, and a growing consensus that "green" investment can help lift the world out of its economic crisis.
"I say it can be done, it must be done," he told delegates. "Let's finish this process at Copenhagen. Don't take the pressure off. Let's make sure we succeed."
