Plans for an emergency summit of world leaders to break the international impasse on cutting greenhouse gases are being discussed by Ban Ki-moon, United Nations secretary-general. At the summit, mooted for September, heads of state would discuss the possibility of a successor to the Kyoto protocol on climate change, the main provisions of which expire in 2012.
It would be among the first important commitments made by Mr Ban since he replaced Kofi Annan on January 1. He has chosen to stake some political capital on climate change, surprising US president George W. Bush by raising it at their meeting two weeks ago.