World Climate

AMSTERDAM -- The U.N. climate change chief says reaching a final global warming treaty will be impossible this year, but that the principles of that accord must be determined at a conference in December.

Yvo de Boer says the treaty's details can be filled in over the next year, but the political deal must be struck at the Copenhagen conference and "time is running out."

He says finances are the key to a Copenhagen agreement. He urged European Union leaders at a summit this week to declare how much the bloc will give poor countries to adapt to climate change.

De Boer said in a conference call Wednesday from Bonn, Germany, that poor countries should get at least $10 billion (euro6.7 billion) a year, starting immediately.