Panama, Backed by El Salvador  on Thursday, December 9, urged the  UN climate summit In Cancun, Mexico to spend less on meetings and concentrate on solutions to  climate change.

 Solutions were needed  to alleviate the situation in their countries, affected by devastating weather.

The director of the National Environmental Authority, Javier Arias, speaking  to the plenary of the summit said  Panama remains in a state of national emergency  from by heavy rains and predictions that this will continue in the coming hours.

"I can not believe that instead of investing in tackling the causes of the problem millions of dollars are spent on  meetings to discuss the relevance of measures, while towns and communities eagerly await an answer," said Arias.

Panama argued for the reduction emissions of greenhouse gases by 40% by 2020 and 95% for 2050 and the creation of a  second period for  the Kyoto Protocol, the world’s only binding agreement which expires in 2012.