Nov. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Delays in crafting a treaty to fight global warming will lead to rising seas and contaminated water, threatening islanders from Fiji to Grenada, envoys said today at United Nations talks in Barcelona.

Stronger Caribbean hurricanes, the loss of coral reefs in tourist resorts and increasing desertification in Cape Verde are some of the impacts of global warming that will worsen the longer the world fails to act to regulate greenhouse gases, Grenadian envoy Dessima Williams said in an interview.

“A delay for us spells danger because we already have very, very detrimental impacts from climate change on our small island states,” said Williams, who represents 43 island nations. “We are postponing the response to something that is already threatening us.”

European delegates and the UN this week downplayed chances of a treaty being agreed upon at a summit in Copenhagen next month. After two years of talks to devise a deal, another year may be needed to draw up a legally binding text, said Yvo de Boer, the United Nations supervisor for climate talks.

“We have been at this since December 2007 so this state of affairs is disappointing, to say the least,” Bruno Sekoli, an envoy from Lesotho who speaks for 49 “least-developed countries,” said in an interview. The Barcelona talks have been “unfortunately overshadowed by this dark cloud of nothing coming out in Copenhagen.”

Negotiators are trying to come up with new emissions goals for the 37 industrialized countries bound by the 1997 Kyoto Protocol Treaty. They’re also working to include in a new deal a target for the U.S., which never ratified Kyoto, and actions to be taken by developing nations such as India and China, which weren’t set commitments. Kyoto’s goals expire in 2012.

Brown, Sarkozy

Environmental groups including Greenpeace and WWF have called for heads of state to go to Copenhagen to spur progress. De Boer today said about 40 leaders have indicated they’re prepared to attend, including U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French leader Nicolas Sarkozy.

This week, African nations held up talks for a day because of what they described as a lack of ambition by industrialized nations in slashing greenhouse gases. They’re seeking cuts of at least 40 percent in the three decades through 2020, far more than the 20 percent the 27-nation European Union has put on the table or Japan’s 25 percent commitment.

The U.S., the biggest developed emitter, hasn’t presented a target, saying it’s waiting on the passage of proposed climate laws by its Congress.

Jonathan Pershing, the lead U.S. negotiator in Barcelona, said in an interview the talks have made progress and that whether the agreement in Copenhagen is legally binding or not, the deal will still benefit the environment.

U.S. Delays

“Will this agreement that we’re doing in Copenhagen fundamentally change the trend of emissions? I think it will,” Pershing said. “Will it fundamentally give new direction to developed and developing country actions? I think it will.”

Pershing said part of the reason for delays in the talks is the U.S., which under the administration of George W. Bush rejected targets. President Barack Obama has only been able to set direction for nine months, he said.

De Boer today said any agreement reached in Copenhagen must include emissions reduction targets for all developed countries, including the U.S.; actions to be made by developing nations; clear financial aid from richer to poorer nations; and a system of rules to govern that money. The legal details will have to be arranged after the two-week summit ends Dec. 18, he said.

“As far as India is concerned, we don’t think we should be giving up so easily,” said Shyam Saran, India’s special envoy on climate change. “We would still like to keep pressing while we have the opportunity.”

To contact the reporter responsible for this story: Alex Morales in Barcelona via amorales2@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: November 6, 2009 08:37 EST