International negotiations on how to set up new carbon markets to cut greenhouse gas levels broke down over the weekend in Warsaw, sources said, after developing nations refused to progress the issue before rich nations increase efforts to cut their own emissions.

 

More than 9,000 delegates from almost 200 countries are gathered in the Polish capital for November 11-22 United Nations-sponsored meetings aimed at forging by 2015 a new treaty to fight climate change, which would enter into force after 2020.

 

Sources said negotiators were unable to agree, before the start of high-levels talks beginning on Monday, proposals to develop new carbon markets and link them together through common accounting and transparency standards.

 

Talks on the issue have been shelved until June 2014, despite agreement in Warsaw expected by many.

 

A spokesman for the European Union Commission said the negotiations had proved very difficult and that it regretted that progress was not made.

 

Reaction to the breakdown in talks was mixed.