Protesters march on Copenhagen summit

The BBC's David Shukman says protesters are determined to get through the cordon Hundreds of protesters are marching towards the UN climate summit venue in Copenhagen as ministers begin their discussions there. Activists have been angered by the lack of progress on a new climate deal, and some have said they will try to get into the debating chambers. Security has been stepped up and police detained about 100 demonstrators shortly after the march got under way. Talks are deadlocked over emission cuts and financial aid for poorer countries. As environment ministers and their aides join the talks, Danish officials have cut the number of campaigners allowed into the venue. BBC environment correspondent Richard Black, in Copenhagen, says that thousands of would-be delegates have queued for hours to gain access to the conference venue - many unsuccessfully. COPENHAGEN LATEST UN chief Ban Ki-moon suggests a climate change deal might not include a figure on financial aid for developing countries, UK's Financial Times reports. Ethiopian President Meles Zenawi will try to break the deadlock by proposing new ways of raising money, BBC environment analyst Roger Harrabin says. Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has warned there is "no guarantee" of a UN climate deal. Updated: 07:31 GMT, 16 December Climate change in graphics Q&A: Copenhagen summit Some campaigners have said that after marching to the summit on Wednesday they will try to gain unauthorised entrance. If they succeed, they could meet up with others who are planning to walk out of the talks, our correspondent says. A BBC correspondent at the Bella Centre, where the talks are taking place, said a small group of 10 protesters got into the central concourse. Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has suggested that poor countries may have to give up their hope of getting immediate long-term financial commitments from richer countries. The amount of aid rich nations will pay poorer ones to combat global warming has been one of the main stumbling blocks at the summit. In an interview with the UK's Financial Times, Mr Ban said he didn't think the exact amount was vital to the current deal. "If they are not able to agree this time at Copenhagen, then there needs to be some initial arrangement. This is a time when common sense, compromise and partnership should prevail," he said. Once negotiations do get under way, delegates will find they still have a huge number of fundamental issues to address, our correspondent says. These include the size of emissions cuts by developed nations, how finance should be raised and disbursed, and most fundamentally, whether a deal here should aim to keep the global temperature rise to 2C or 1.5C. Two years after governments decided to seek a new global climate deal and just three days before it is due to be completed, there is clearly still an immense amount of negotiating left to do, our correspondent adds. In another development on Wednesday, African nations are expected to reject a deal forged by Ethiopia, France and the UK aimed at breaking the deadlock at the summit, the BBC has learned. The deal - said to have been organised during Ethiopian President Meles Zenawi's recent visit to Paris - would have raised funds for financing clean development and climate adaptation through "innovative mechanisms" including taxes on air travel and on bank transactions. 'Important moment' The high-level phase of the talks began on Tuesday, with environment ministers and negotiators from 193 countries struggling to make progress on core issues. CLIMATE CHANGE GLOSSARY Select a term from the dropdown:GlossaryAdaptationAnnex I countriesAnnex II countriesAnthropogenic climate changeAosisAR4Atmospheric aerosolsBali action planBali roadmapBaseline for cutsBiofuelBlack carbonBoxer-Kerry billBusiness as usualCap and tradeCarbon capture and storage (CCS)Carbon dioxide (CO2)Carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalentCarbon footprintCarbon intensityCarbon leakageCarbon neutralCarbon offsettingCarbon sequestrationCarbon sinkCertified Emission Reduction (CER)Clean Coal TechnologyClean Development Mechanism (CDM)Climate changeCFCCO2Commitment periodCOP15Country in transitionDangerous climate changeDeforestationEmission Trading Scheme (ETS)EU Burden-sharing agreementFeedback loopFlexible mechanismFossil_fuelsGeological sequestrationGlobal average temperatureGlobal energy budgetGlobal dimmingGlobal warmingGlobal Warming Potential (GWP)Greenhouse gases (GHGs)Greenhouse effectHockey stickIPCCJoint implementationKyoto ProtocolLDCsLULUCFMajor Economies Forum on Energy and ClimateMethaneMitigationNairobi work programNatural greenhouse effectNon-annex I countriesOcean acidificationppm (350/450)Per-capita emissionsPre-industrial levels of carbon dioxideREDDRenewable energyStern reviewTechnology transferTipping pointTwenty-twenty-twenty (20-20-20)UNFCCCWaxman-Markey energy billWeather Suggest additions Glossary in full But the White House says President Barack Obama, who will join world leaders in Copenhagen later in the week, is confident of reaching a deal. "The president believes that we can get... an operational agreement that makes sense in Copenhagen, over the next few days," spokesman Robert Gibbs told a briefing. UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who is already in Copenhagen, told reporters on Tuesday that it was a critical moment. "This is a very important moment for the world," Mr Brown said. "It is possible that we will not get an agreement and it is also true that there are many issues to be sorted out. But I am determined... to do everything I can to bring the world together." More than 120 leaders will formally join the talks on Thursday, aiming to seal an accord by Friday. Root: BBC