The leaders of around 100 nations have met in New York for a one-day summit to discuss measures to be taken during December's meeting in Copenhagen on global warming. The Copenhagen summit is meant to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, that has been signed and ratified by 183 member states.

Although no firm commitments were made during the meeting, United States President Barack Obama said his country was well on its way towards decreasing its emissions. Chinese President Hu Jintao announced plans for "a considerable" decline in his country's future carbon dioxide emissions, however he did not provide any information.

Dutch Prime Minister Jan-Peter Balkenende and Crown Prince Willem-Alexander represented the Netherlands at the summit. Following the meeting they said they were more confident than ever before that the summit would be a success.

United Nations building
Photo by MDIII (flickr)