German chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday US pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions were insufficient and warned that talks at the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen could fail.
In a speech to parliament before flying to the conference for the final two days, Merkel said failure to reach a deal to fight climate change could do lasting damage.
"The news that we've been receiving is not good," Merkel said. "At the moment there doesn't seem to be any reasonable negotiation process in sight but I am hoping that the presence of over 100 leaders can give the necessary impulse."
Merkel, whose country is the world's sixth largest emitter of greenhouse gases but a leader in renewable energy technology, said the commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the United States and other industrial nations had to be improved.
"I must say very honestly that the United States offer to cut (emissions) by 4 percent compared to 1990 levels is not ambitious," she said. There would be no agreement unless developing nations, especially China and India, were included, she added.
People around the world were looking to the leaders meeting in Copenhagen to reach an agreement, she said. It was essential that nations agreed to strive to limit a rise in global temperatures to two degrees Celsius.
"All (scientific) reports make clear that if we can't agree to limit global warming to two degrees then the costs will be far greater than a change in our lifestyles," she said.
"Therefore we need first a commitment from all countries to the two-degree goal -- that means limiting global warming to a maximum of two degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels. If we are not able to achieve this, then the summit in Copenhagen will be a failure. At this time, I'm not sure if we can achieve it. But I will do all I can together with our environment minister to ensure we do get there."
