Coastal erosion is a concern for the Caribbean.

Caribbean and other countries in the UN's Alliance for Small Island States, known as AOSIS, are demanding that their concerns are reflected in the outcome of the global Climate Change Summit taking place in Copenhagen.

They have vowed to reject any agreement which "lacks the ambition to guarantee the future survival and viability of developing and vulnerable states".

AOSIS spokesman, Dr Linus Spencer Thomas of Grenada, has said that the grouping will not accept any outcome that only provides inadequate short term funding and ignores the long term needs of affected countries.

The organisation has signalled its intention to engage meaningfully in the climate change negotiations to help arrive at a legally binding outcome.

Caribbean delegates at the summit have indicated that the region has a list of demands ranging from financial guarantees to limits on temperature rises and carbon emissions.

...but a split emerges

However, a major split has emerged among developing countries at the summit over how strict a new treaty should be.

Countries especially vulnerable to climate impact have called for a tough agreement.

In addition to the Caribbean nations, they include the Pacific island of Tuvalu, other small island states,and poor African countries.

We want this agreement to protect our vulnerability   Ambassador Dessima Williams, Grenada

However, this was opposed by China and India, which fear economic damage from a tougher treaty.

The poorer and vulnerable countries have made it clear that they are determined to pursue a tough deal, even at the risk of offending their usual allies.

Protecting vulnerable states

Grenadian ambassador Dessima Williams is leading the AOSIS delegation at the Copenhagen talks.

She says the content of the outcome will be important to Caribbean islands with low-lying coastal areas.

"We want this agreement to protect our vulnerability," she told BBC Caribbean.

"1.5 degrees of temperature increase is the maximum that is tolerable if we are to guarantee our safety against rising of the oceans," she said while explaining the kind of case the region is pushing in Copenhagen.

Ambassador Williams also wants to see "very rigorous mitigation targets from the major emitters" of greenhouse gases.

But with 192 countries and 102 world leaders at the summit there is some concern that the Caribbean and wider AOSIS concerns could get lost in the high-level political jostling taking place.

Getting the message across

Caribbean scientist Dr Kenrick Leslie, the head of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, says it is crucial that the region gets its message across.

He is blaming an increase in temperatures in the Caribbean mainly on developments in richer countries.

This point he wants Caribbean leaders to emphasise at the climate talks.

	Coral reefs are under threat from global warming

Dr Leslie argues that with coral reefs at growing risk, Caribbean tourism could be dealt a serious blow if the situation remains unchecked.

"We are asking our leaders to explain the position of the Caribbean not only in terms of the economy but the impact on the social aspects of our region," he told BBC Caribbean.

Dr Leslie, like most delegates from the developing world, wants the industrialised nations to take the kinds of actions that will lead to the reduction of carbon emissions.

"This is the first time we've seen the island nations make such a splash," said Malini Mehra of the India-based Centre for Social Markets.

"The AOSIS call for a new protocol and the way it was denounced by Saudi Arabia, China, and India show that the G77 has now come asunder and the island nations are leading," she told BBC News

"As they must - they have seized the high moral ground."

US support for fund

Meanwhile the United States has said it will contribute to a fund to help poor countries deal with the effects of climate change.

However, it says Washington does not see the need to make "reparations" for its carbon pollution.

A high-ranking Obama administration official said "we absolutely recognise our historic role in putting emissions in the atmosphere, up there".

Todd Stern, a lead US negotiator to the climate talks, added however, that he categorically rejects "the sense of guilt or culpability or reparations".

BBC in depth: Copenhagen 2009