Britain and France have pledged to pay developing nations to help them combat global warming by calling for a 6.67-billion euro climate fund financed by rich countries.

Attending a Commonwealth summit in Trinidad, Prime Minister Gordon Brown and President Nicolas Sarkozy urged that the fund be adopted at the Copenhagen climate summit in early December. Mr Brown said Britain would contribute 0.86 billion euros over three years. The fund is intended to help poor countries cut greenhouse gas emissions and counter the effects of rising sea levels.

The Commonwealth summit is the last big international gathering before the Copenhagen climate summit due in two weeks' time. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who also attended the Commonwealth summit, said that, despite earlier pessimism, a new climate protocol now seems within reach.