A new round of United Nations climate discussions is set to begin on Monday in Mexico, with nearly 200 nations gathering to try to reach an agreement on a few crucial issues dividing wealthy and developing countries. The conference in Cancun, lasting two weeks, will focus on securing funds and strategies to protect rainforests and prepare for a warmer planet. It will also aim to formalize current goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The event is not expected to generate as much excitement as last year's summit in Copenhagen, which aimed to establish a new climate pact but ultimately resulted in a non-binding agreement that was not supported by several developing nations. The ongoing UN negotiations have brought into conflict the world's top two polluters, the United States and China, with the US pushing for stronger emission reductions from China, similar to pressures on trade and human rights issues. Mexican President Felipe Calderon highlighted the economic benefits of addressing climate change on the eve of the talks, aiming to dispel the mistrust from previous summits. He emphasized that the choice between protecting the environment and fighting poverty, or between addressing climate change and promoting economic growth, is a false dichotomy. Calderon inaugurated a wind turbine at the conference hotel to showcase the potential of renewable energy. He stated that the focus of the talks would be on preparing for a warmer world, particularly concerning poorer nations, with an emphasis on adaptation. This stance was met with criticism from European Union negotiators, who believe that the talks should also result in stronger commitments to reducing emissions, including from developing countries. "We will seek a limited number of decisions in Cancun and hope to establish a way forward," stated Artur Runge-Metzger, a senior EU negotiator, on Sunday. Peter Wittoeck, a senior negotiator with Belgium, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, mentioned, "We can see the beginnings of a compromise." The primary goal of the negotiations is to reach an agreement on a stronger climate deal to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which is set to expire in 2012, in order to intensify efforts to combat global warming. Studies released on Sunday indicated that in the worst-case scenario of climate change, global temperatures could rise by 4 degrees Celsius (7.2F) by the 2060s and would require an annual investment of $270 billion just to prevent rising sea levels.