60 heads of state to attend Copenhagen

Promising but a mixed bag.

Copenhagen climate summit: 60 heads of state to attend

Hopes for the Copenhagen climate summit in December have been boosted after it emerged that more than 60 presidents and prime ministers plan to attend.

There had been concern that no strong agreement would emerge from the talks in Copenhagen.

But observers say the presence of so many heads of state will radically increase expectations.

Copenhagen conference attracts world leaders

So far 65 heads of state and government have accepted Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen's invitation to attend December's UN climate change conference in the Danish capital.

Attending: Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Spain and the United Kingdom

Not attending: US, China, India

It is 60 or 65 depending on the source but the point is China and India are not attending. I understand the politics involved in such negotiations but the optics does not look good. The impact of climate change is the highest in these countries with the Himalayas receding. They also represent about 40% of the humanity.