The Nepalese cabinet has held a meeting on Mount Everest.

With the Climate Summit in Copenhagen a week away, the 21 ministers wanted to draw attention to the effects of climate change.

Deputy Prime Minsiter Sujata Koirala wants rich countries to contribute 1.5 percent of their gross domestic product to help developing nations.

The meeting was located at Mount Everest’s base camp 5200 metres above sea level.

The ministers equipped with oxygen masks were brought there by helicopter. The meeting lasted just 30 minutes in the freezing temperatures.

Global warming is causing the glaciers of the Himalaya to melt at an alarming rate, creating huge glacial lakes which are a threat to mountain communities further downstream.

Photo: Mount Everest - Flickr Claude Florin