Somehow the world will have to hatch a new accord to stop global warming without the aid of Delta Mayor Lois Jackson and Port Moody Mayor Joe Trasolini.

Metro Vancouver directors on Friday axed plans to send the board chair and environment committee chair to Copenhagen for next month's global climate change summit.

Jackson and Trasolini weren't around to defend the merits of the trip – they're still in China as part of a different international delegation.

But most board members voted down the eight-day jaunt to Denmark, which would have cost the region's taxpayers $31,000.

"I haven't been supporting these junkets for years," said Pitt Meadows Mayor Don MacLean, who argued for scrubbing the trip.

"We can't be isolated from the fact we're in the tail end of the recession and the concept of $31,000 is a lot of money to taxpayers."

Some directors said it's important to have a Metro Vancouver presence in the Danish capital, where world leaders will convene to hammer out a new global plan to slow carbon emissions.

But others doubted they'd have much influence or that there's any need to have Metro reps there in person to find out what transpires.

Nor is it a case that there will be no local representatives in Copenhagen.

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson is going on behalf of Vancouver and Vancouver Coun. David Cadman will pay his own way to be there because he's president of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), a global organization of green-minded cities.

Metro is asking Robertson to brief the board on Copenhagen after his return.

Vancouver Coun. Andrea Reimer pushed to cancel the Jackson/Trasolini trip after the board voted – again – to stop paying for Cadman's trips on ICLEI business.

Cadman had asked Metro to pay $7,750 of his trip to Copenhagen.

The Vancouver councillor's jet-setting trips have been a sore point for the board for months. Directors had thought Cadman, who collected $42,000 in meetings and expense payments from Metro in 2008, had been cut off earlier this year when they rewrote the bylaw governing trip payments.

But it turned out the changes didn't apply to Cadman, because Metro nominated him to run for ICLEI's presidency before the bylaw amendment.

That suggested Cadman should get $632 per day to attend meetings in Copenhagen plus $83 per day for meals and incidentals.

"We have to put an end to this once and for all," said Langley City Coun. Gayle Martin said. "If ICLEI wants to send him around the world they can pay for it ."

Belcarra Mayor Ralph Drew said the new board resolution "draws a line in the sand" that Cadman will no longer be paid by Metro for travel or expenses on ICLEI business.

It's not Cadman's first trip to Denmark this year – he's already been there once on ICLEI business in 2009, amid visits to Iceland, Germany, the U.S., China and Italy.