The massive storm that swept across New York and surrounding states in late October was widely touted as a symbol of the dangers of ignoring climate change in the run-up to the two-week UN talks.

But with the negotiations deadlocked over whether wealthy countries will provide up to $60bn in aid up to 2015 to help poorer nations cope with the impact of global warming, developing country negotiators have seized on reports that the US states worst-hit by Sandy want up to $80bn in government assistance to help them recover from the storm’s devastation.