Bolivia to host climate summit
Evo Morales suggested the summit as an agreement was not formalised at Copenhagen
Bolivian president Evo Morales has announced plans to head an alternative climate summit after attendees failed to formalise an agreement to reduce CO2 emissions in Copenhagen last month.
The First World Conference of the People on Climate Change will take place in April in the Bolivian city of Cochabamba.
Speaking to a press conference on Tuesday (5th January), Mr Morales urged leaders of the world's indigenous ethnic groups, and scientists and experts on environmental issues to attend the conference.
The event's goals include analysing the causes of climate change and coming up with measures which will enhance the links between mankind and nature.
Mr Morales will also encourage attendees to put more pressure on richer nations to accept their responsibility for climate change and acknowledge the "climate debt" they owe developing countries.
In addition, he hopes that the summit will lead to the creation of an international court for environmental crimes.
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Bolivia was one of five nations which did not accept the Copenhagen Accord brokered by US president Barack Obama last month, meaning that the agreement was not formally adopted.
Speaking at the time, Bolivia's ambassador to the United Nations, Pablo Solon, said that the agreement was "unacceptable" as it had been produced by a small group of nations and ignored the needs of the majority.
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