Against a background of pep talks from senior leaders urging an effective deal at the climate change talks in Copenhagen, hundreds of protesters were reported on December 16 2009 to be heading for the summit venue.
 
Activists have been angered by the lack of progress on a new climate deal, and with logistical problems at the summit, the BBC said.
 
Before heading for the Danish capital, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on rich and poor countries to "stop pointing fingers" and to press forward to reach a strong deal to combat climate change. 
 
He said that he was optimistic a robust agreement would be reached at the Copenhagen conference, the Voice of America said.
 
"Copenhagen can and must be the turning point in the world's efforts to prevent runaway climate change and usher in a new era of green growth for all," Ban said.
 
The president of the conference, Danish minister Connie Hedegaard, said "In these very hours we are balancing between success and failure. Success is within reach. But (…) I must also warn you: We can fail."
 
China, among the key players at the summit, said earlier that developed countries were backing away from commitments to help developing countries with the effects of climate change.
 
As the world's largest developing country, China has made its position on climate change clear.
 
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu Tuesday said that one of the major issues is money to help developing nations cope with the effects of climate change.
 
Jiang says the funds pledged by developed nations so far still fall short of what developing countries expected. She urges developed nations to, in her words, "fulfill their obligations to provide financial support." She calls this a "key condition for the success of the Copenhagen conference."
 
She said premier Wen Jiabao would leave on December 16 for Copenhagen to deliver a speech outlining China's position on climate change and to meet with international leaders on the sidelines of the climate change summit, the Voice of America reported.
 
 
United States secretary of state Hillary Clinton said on December 15 that the US was ready to do its part to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions but that other countries, especially poorer ones, must play their parts as well, CNN reported.
 
"Nearly all of the growth in emissions in the next 20 years will come from the developing world," Clinton said in an opinion piece for the International Herald Tribune. "Without their participation and commitment, a solution is impossible."