For a safer world, we have to have political agreement at the next conference of parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen this December.

What would be the requirements for an agreement in Copenhagen? First, ambitious emission reduction targets from industrialised countries. Second, commitments from developing countries on national actions to limit growth of emissions. This would depend on the third condition, which is availability of public finance from industrialised countries so that developing countries could carry out their national actions. Fourth, a governance structure on how this money is to be spent, with developing countries in charge of that structure.

If the Copenhagen deadline begins to slip, people will start losing faith in the international process to deal with the pressing challenge posed by climate change.

There are some encouraging signs. At the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland, last week, I was encouraged to see that despite the financial meltdown, climate change is still on the agenda.

We must also remember that a Copenhagen deal that slows down growth in developing countries would not be equitable; a rise in poverty would not be equitable.

That is why finance and technology transfers from industrialised to developing countries to help combat climate change is essential.

It is the moral responsibility of developing countries to ensure that issues of equity and ethics are not forgotten in the debate in Copenhagen. Then, we all have the moral responsibility to find the way forward.