The conference has been described by many scientists and environmental experts as the most important the world has ever seen. Security is tight as organisers expect 15,000 delegates and over 100 world leaders to attend over the next two weeks. Never in 17 years of climate negotiations have so many different countries made so many pledges. It's unprecedented.
South Africa became the latest country to make an offer on cutting emissions - its first quantifiable target. On the eve of the summit it offered to cut by one-third the growth of its carbon emissions over the next decade - subject to getting more funding and technological help from wealthier countries. In the survey, by Globescan, 64% of people questioned said they considered global warming a very serious problem - up 20% from over a decade ago. To stress the importance of the summit, 56 newspapers in 45 countries will publish the same editorial on Monday, warning that climate change will "ravage our planet" unless action is agreed, the London-based Guardian reported. The editorial - to be published in 20 languages - has been thrashed out by editors ahead of the Copenhagen talks, the newspaper said. "At the deal's heart must be a settlement between the rich world and the developing world," the editorial says. Environmental activists plan protests in Copenhagen and around the world on 12 December, to encourage delegates to reach the strongest possible deal. Any agreement made at Copenhagen is intended to supplant the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on climate change. Targets set at Kyoto run out in 2012. Speakers at the opening session will include Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Rajendra Pachauri, head of the UN's panel of climate experts. World leaders who have pledged to attend include US President Barack Obama, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The main areas for discussion include: 1. Targets to curb greenhouse gas emissions, in particular by developed countries
2. Financial support for mitigation of and adaptation to climate change by developing countries
3. A carbon trading scheme aimed at ending the destruction of the world's forests by 2030
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