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"One size does not fit all," Paula Dobriansky, US under secretary, democracy and global affairs, told a news conference, rejecting calls for UN-led global discussions on new ways to combat climate change. "It is our belief that progress cannot be made through formalized discussions."

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"There is absolutely no excuse for any more delay in action," Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin told a separate news conference, taking a swipe at US President George W. Bush.

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"President Bush did sign the text at Gleneagles which talks about discussions here in Montreal about future action. It is no less incumbent on the United States than any other member of the convention to play their role in these discussions," Margaret Beckett, Britain's environment secretary, told reporters. Britain currently holds the EU presidency.

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"The position of the United States is hard to accept given the danger the planet is facing," French Environment Minister Nelly Olin said.

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"Unfortunately, some parties, by not abiding by their commitments, have put the credibility of the Kyoto Protocol in question," said Rafiq Ahmed Khan, high commissioner of Bangladesh in Canada. Low-lying Bangladesh, home to more than 140 million people, fears it could lose a large part of its land area from rising sea levels.

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"Climate change is no longer an abstract subject for research or a highly contested issue for political debate. Climate change is a reality -- one of the most serious threats facing humanity today," Richard Kinley, officer-in-charge of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, told the ministers.

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"There may be technology to deal with emissions from the industrial and energy sectors but we have not yet found ways to stop cows and sheep from doing what comes naturally," David Parker, New Zealand's Minister Responsible for Climate Change Issues, told the conference, referring to his country's millions of flatulent livestock.