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COP15: Climate change talks end in Brokenhagen

And what of Copenhagen in the end? Environmental groups are dubbing the summit “Brokenhagen”. But were the talks a complete disaster or is there some light at the end of the tunnel?

On the positive side, delegates did sign an agreement of sorts on Friday, the Copenhagen Accord. The document sets out a target of limiting global temperature rise to 2°C and recognises that all nations need to work to that goal.

Delegates also agreed to provide around $30 billion in short-term funding to help developing countries reduce emissions and deal with the effects of climate change. In the long term, developed nations have agreed to set up a $100 billion a year fund by 2020.

And on the less positive? The Copenhagen Accord, drafted during the mid-week deadlock by UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and 26 other leaders and put forward to much fanfare by US President Barack Obama on Friday, has failed to garner consensus from delegates.

In what appears to be a response to pressure from China, key parts of the Accord, including a statement pledging to cut carbon emissions by 50% by 2050 were removed.

Critics argue that the Copenhagen Accord is nowhere near far-reaching or radical enough to deal with climate change and delays a new Kyoto-type treaty with binding emissions targets for another year.

Developing nations are now even accusing the world’s wealthiest nations of strong-arm tactics to force them into signing the proposed Copenhagen Accord in return for receiving their share of the pledged $100 billion climate change fund.

“This summit has been a complete failure – the climate accord should be sent to the recycling bin,” says Andy Atkins, executive director of Friends of the Earth.

“The developed world… must face up to its global responsibilities with a strong and fair agreement within months,” he adds.

The light at the end of the tunnel is that the Copenhagen Accord does pave the way for further agreements and, as the text states, provides for nations to “commit to implement individually or jointly the quantified economy-wide emissions targets for 2020… before 1 February 2010”.

Brown has said that he will lead an international campaign to turn what agreements have been reached at Copenhagen into a legally binding treaty.

“This is the first step we are taking towards a green and low carbon future for the world. First steps are difficult, but they are also necessary,” he said on Saturday. “I hope that we can move quickly to the next step which is to get a legally binding treaty.”

22 December 2009

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