EU leaders back 'fair' climate policy

PARIS, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- European leaders say they support a comprehensive climate change agreement to combat global warming envisioned for the December conference in Denmark.

The foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, France, Germany, Finland and Spain, writing in French newspaper Liberation, called for an ambitious agreement at the December climate change summit in Copenhagen, Denmark.

"We want, and the world needs, a global deal in Copenhagen that is ambitious and fair," the ministers wrote.

World leaders descend on Copenhagen starting Dec. 7 in an effort to find a successor to the Kyoto Protocol.

The officials say even a modest rise in the median global temperate could have dramatic effects on foreign policy issues. Water shortages, they note, could affect more than 150 million people and strain already tense relations in parts of the world, particularly in the Middle East.

The joint statement reaffirms a commitment to limit global warming, noting the European Union will lead the way in an ambitious approach toward climate change policy.

"The test we face in December at Copenhagen is a test of our ability to rise to a challenge recognized to be a defining one for our generation," the statement adds.