A demand by India, China, and Brazil that rich nations accept they are mainly responsible for global warming has held up progress at a key UN climate change conference in Bangkok, delegates said on Wednesday.
The three nations' insistence since the talks started on Monday that the developed world recognise their dominant role in climate change has stolen precious time meant for debate on how best to tackle global warming, they said.
"Progress is slow," one delegate from a European nation, who asked not to be identified said.
"Brazil, India and China are trying to put on the shoulders of industrialised nations the historic responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions, in order to clear their own emissions (of blame) and to protect themselves in any discussion."
At least 400 scientists and experts from about 120 countries are attending the week-long third session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN's leading authority on global warming.
Their report, expected to be released at the end of their meeting on Friday, aims to lay out ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prevent a climate catastrophe without seriously hurting the global economy.
But China has also insisted on specific figures, which lay the blame for global warming on rich nations, be inserted into the conclusions.
Various delegates said the demands, made by China but backed by India and Brazil, were not relevant to this week's meeting because it was meant to specifically look at ways to mitigate climate change.
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