Climate change conference ends with soft agreement

Dec 21, 2009 News

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From Neil Marks in Copenhagen

The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen ended yesterday with an agreement by countries to cap the global temperature rise by committing to significant emission reductions, and to raise finance to kick-start action in the developing world to deal with climate change.
This follows a heated debate in the wee hours of the morning when many countries accused the US and other big nations of hijacking the process and derailing negotiations over the past two years that were intended to bring about a deal. US President Barack Obama had announced a deal without the knowledge of most countries and this stirred a heated debate.

However, during the day, world leaders agreed to the ‘Copenhagen Accord’, which was supported by a majority of countries, including amongst them the biggest and the richest, and the smallest and most vulnerable.
“We have sealed the deal,” said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “This accord cannot be everything that everyone hoped for, but it is an essential beginning,” he said.
The Copenhagen Accord recognizes the scientific view that an increase in global temperature below 2 degrees is required to stave off the worst effects of climate change.
In order to achieve this goal, the accord specifies that industrialised countries will commit to implement, individually or jointly, quantified economy-wide emissions targets from 2020, to be listed in the accord before 31 January 2010.
A number of developing countries, including major emerging economies, agreed to communicate their efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions every two years, also listing their voluntary pledges before the 31 January 2010.
Nationally appropriate mitigation actions seeking international support are to be recorded in a registry along with relevant technology, finance and capacity building support from industrialised nations.
“We must be honest about what we have got,” said UNFCCC Executive Secretary
Yvo de Boer. “The world walks away from Copenhagen with a deal. But clearly
ambitions to reduce emissions must be raised significantly if we are to hold the world to 2 degrees,” he added.
Because the pledges listed by developed and developing countries may, according to science, be found insufficient to keep the global temperature rise below 2 degrees or less, leaders called for a review of the accord, to be completed by 2015.
The review would include a consideration of the long-term goal to limit the global average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees.
Heads of state and government also intend to unleash prompt action on mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology, reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries and capacity-building.
To this effect, they intend to establish the “Copenhagen Green Climate Fund” to support immediate action on climate change. The collective commitment towards the fund by developed countries over the next three years will approach US30 billion dollars.
For long-term finance, developed countries agreed to support a goal of jointly mobilizing 100 billion dollars a year by 2020 to address the needs of developing countries.
In order to step up action on the development and transfer of technology, governments intend to establish a new technology mechanism to accelerate development and transfer in support of action on adaptation and mitigation.
119 world leaders attended the meeting, the largest gathering of heads of state and government in the history of the UN. “Climate change is the permanent leadership challenge of our time,” said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “I therefore urge world leaders to remain engaged,” he said.
“We now have a package to work with and begin immediate action,” said UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer. “However, we need to be clear that it is a letter of intent and is not precise about what needs to be done in legal terms. So the challenge is now to turn what we have agreed politically in Copenhagen into something real, measurable and verifiable,” he added.
The next annual UN Climate Change Conference will take place towards the end of 2010 in Mexico City, preceded by a major two week negotiating session in Bonn, Germany, scheduled 31 May to 11 June.
Meanwhile, Greenpeace yesterday staged a candle-light vigil outside Vestre Fængsel (prison), in Copenhagen, calling for the immediate release of four of its activists who face spending Christmas in a Danish jail. Three of the activists took part in the peaceful protest at the Danish Queen’s Heads-of-State dinner, last Thursday, during the Copenhagen Climate Summit.
Over 100 Greenpeace staff and supporters holding banners reading “Freedom From Climate Injustice” took part in the vigil where the activists are being held in isolation and without trial.
“Copenhagen has become a ‘climate crime scene’ after over 120 Heads-of-State squandered an historic opportunity to agree a climate saving deal,” said Kumi Naidoo, Greenpeace International Executive Director.
“While the perpetrators of the real crime fled the country on private jets, it is shocking that the Danish authorities have decided to detain, without trial, four peaceful protesters over Christmas.”

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