|
|
|
Copenhagen Accord is sealed, finally
The UN climate summit finally passed the Copenhagen Accord on Saturday (December 19, 2009) after two
days of intense negotiations and backroom manoeuvres. The Accord, proposed by
India and four other countries, is now "operational", a relieved UN chief said.
The Accord that is meant to be a first step towards fighting the climate change
that is affecting millions worldwide was still held up for hours by four countries.
Soon afterwards, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon came out of
the plenary hall to tell the media: "Finally we sealed the deal." "It has been a long and interesting couple of days," Ban said, referring to the
negotiations after US President Barack Obama got together with the heads of
India, China, Brazil and South Africa Thursday evening to stitch the Accord
together".
According to the UN chief, the Accord had the four benchmarks -a common
long-term goal of keeping global temperature rise within two degrees Celsius; a
commitment by all countries to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases that are
warming the atmosphere; progress on tackling deforestation and the start of a
fund which developing countries - especially the poorest ones - could use to
cope with climate change effects.Ban pointed out that the Accord was backed by money - $10 billion a year for the
next three years, and then $100 billion a year that the US government had
|
United Nations Climate Change Conference
Date:7–18 December 2009
Location: Bella Center, Copenhagen, Denmark
Participants:: UNFCCC member countries
This week
Tues 15 Dec - Prince Charles delivers a speech on the dangers of deforestation; UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown arrives
Weds 16 Dec - Ministerial teams take over negotiations as the high level segment begins
Fri 18 Dec - More than 100 world leaders, including Barack
Obama, attend closing session |
|
UN Climate Change Conference
Some 15,000 people, including 103 government leaders and thousands of
negotiators, pressure groups and journalists from more than 190 nations headed
at Copenhagen for 12 days of negotiations aimed at stopping global
warming.The conference takes place at the Bella Centre, a sprawling 123,000 sq metre
venue close to the Danish capital's Kastrup Airport. US President Barack Obama would
attend its last crucial day, December 18,
2009
The overarching objective of the conference is to stop
average global temperatures from rising by more than 2 degrees Celsius above their
pre-industrial levels. Scientists say that a greater rise would likely have devastating impacts,
particularly on the world's poorer nations, disrupting water supplies,
submerging island states and spreading droughts and diseases. Global temperatures have already risen by an average of 0.74 degrees over the
last 100 years, and are projected to rise by at least 3 degrees this century
unless urgent action is taken.
Scientists
warning
Scientists say that a greater rise would likely have devastating impacts,
particularly on the world's poorer nations, disrupting water supplies,
submerging island states and spreading droughts and diseases. Global temperatures have already risen by an average of 0.74 degrees over the
last 100 years, and are projected to rise by at least 3 degrees this century
unless urgent action is taken.
Countries
carbon emissions at a glance
The EU has already vowed to cut its own emissions by at least 20 percent below
1990 levels by 2020. But the world's biggest polluters - the US and China - have
so far come up with far less ambitious targets.
|
|
|
Proposed changes in absolute emissions
Area (1990→2020)
Japan - cut by 25% below 1990 levels by 2020
China - cut CO2 emissions per unit of GDP by 40–45% below 2005 levels by 2020
EU - cut 30% below 1990 levels by 2020
India - cut by 20–25% below 2005 levels by 2020
Russia - cut 20%- 25% below 1990 levels by 2020
South Africa - cut 18% below 1990 levels by 2020
New Zealand - cut 10% to 20% below 1990 levels by 2020
Australia -4 to -24%CO2-e w/- LULUCF
Canada -3% below 1990 levels by 2020.
United States - cut 17% below 2005 levels by 2020, 42% by 2030 and 83% by
2050.
Brazil - cut of between 5% above and 1.8% below 1990 levels by 2020. |
 |
|
India's
stand
New Delhi continues to hold the rich nations responsible for the current climate mess and states that emission cuts are not an option for India as it has to tackle poverty and
underdevelopment, it recently announced steps to voluntarily reduce its emission intensity by 20 to 25 per cent by 2020. China and Brazil have offered to take similar steps.
The wealthy nations, however, want India and the others to do more. They say the emerging economies have to commit themselves to these stapes on paper and make them available for the world to see. “A press release domestically” won’t do, thundered US chief negotiator Todd Stern at a press conference in Copenhagen.
Political deadlock continues
It appear that deep differences among industrialised countries, that is, between the United States and the rest of the industrialised nations, is the main hurdle to an outcome at Copenhagen conference. The European Union and Japan have demanded that the United States be treated in the same manner as other developed countries. The two leading components of the rich nations bloc have said that they would not take any deep emission cuts unless the US joins the Kyoto Protocol. The United States for its part has consistently maintained that it will not join the Kyoto Protocol or a Kyoto-like protocol, that it is unwilling to take on legally-binding emission cuts like
other rich industrialised countries.
Speaking at the ceremonial opening of the high-level segment, Danish Minister Connie Hedegaard warned that failure was possible. “Success is still within reach. But as president of the [summit], I must warn you that we can fail ...because we have spent too much time on repeating our positions, sending signals, and arguing about formalities,” she said. “Some progress has been made, but it’s not nearly enough to show to the world,” said Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change. “Leaders are not coming here to leave empty-handed.”
U.N. Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon warned: “We do not have another year to deliberate. Nature does not negotiate with us.” “The time for consensus has arrived.”
Poor nations stall global climate talks
The world’s poorest nations on Tuesday stood together and refused to accept a
warming of the earth beyond 1.5 deg C by 2050, throwing global climate talks
into further disarray. UN released seven drafts on technology finance, forests and adaptation for
ministers to decide over the next two days, Lumumba Di-Aping, spokesman of the
G-77 group plus China, contested the stand of Indian environment minister Jairam
Ramesh, that a rise in global temperature by 2 deg C by 2050 without any
limitations on carbon dioxide concentration on particles per million (PPM) was
“acceptable”. “Africa will burn like a furnance if two degrees is allowed,” Aping said at a
ministerial consultation. Ramesh later said the “hard work” of bringing the
developing world together was coming apart.
The Association of Small Island Nations also opposes India on its stand. The
island nations, predicted to be the first to go under if global warming
accelerates, are winning popular support in Copenhagen. The stand of the poorer countries comes a day after they accused countries like
India and Brazil of deciding negotiations on their behalf. With three days left,
the latest split makes hopes of even a common political statement difficult, let
alone a treaty. The seven drafts will be discussed at ministerial consultations
that started on Wednesday.
Copenhagen turns into a battlefield
As climate change negotiations heat up at the Copenhagen summit, civil society groups, delegates and indigenous
representatives surely Several protestors gathered outside the climate change conference hall at Copenhagen on
Wednesday, to protest the inaction to strike a deal at the summit, the police used batons to disperse the crowd.
The protest organised by the Climate Justice Action (CJA) has around 3,000 activists taking part in it. The protesters from across the world had joined in to enter the Bella Center, where the crucial climate talks are being held, to take over the conference only to make it into a people’s assembly.
|
|
|
