African and other developing countries walked out of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, suspending talks on Monday, and report. They refused to continue discussion without a guarantee that talks regarding a second commitment period to the Kyoto Protocol would take precedence over broader talks on long-range goals for global climate change action. The protesting countries pointed fingers at so-called “rich” nations, who they accused of weakening support for Kyoto. The African nations will return to the negotiations later Monday, having received word that an extension of the Kyoto Protocol would get priority in talks.
–Aileen Torres