from flickr user Esparta

The police found the bodies of four men in Cancun neighborhoods this week, and soldiers are engaged in deadly fire battles with cartels in Texas border towns. But Mexico is determined not to let the country's rampant drug violence derail the United Nations climate talks, which are entering their final days.

Voice of America reports that some conference participants have said they were surprised by the high level of security, which included heavily armed guards and airport-like security screenings between buildings.

Sena Alouka from Togo says he and his African colleagues noticed a lot more guns on display than at previous conferences.

"For us, it is like you are seeing those old Zapata movies from the bush of Latin America," he said. "We see for the first time.. for us, it is really funny for us to see them heavily armed."

As it winds down, the conference's main focus is to create a fund for the protection of developing countries from the impacts of climate change.

Nations are also debating new limits for global emissions, which some states want capped at no more than 1.5 degrees Celcius above pre-industrial times.