Originally published @ 5:09 pm, Sun 27th Dec 2009
Barack Obama has acknowledged that the outcome of the Copenhagen summit is disappointing. "I think that people are justified in being disappointed about the outcome in Copenhagen," he said in an interview with PBS Newshour. "We were able to at least agree on non-legally binding targets for all countries -- not just the United States, not just Europe, but also for China and India, which, projecting forward, are going to be the world's largest emitters," he said.
Now it’s clear, that what was needed beforehand was stronger public support for action from the American public, so that their politicians would support a stronger stance (of more cuts in emissions that 17.5% of their 20 tons per person), and some kind of pressure from within China, that would have allowed agreement to a proper scrutiny of the target (of a 44% cut in emissions of 5 tons per person) they said they were prepared to undertake. (Note that China had said they did not want a target a year ago.)
[Note, John Prescott has sought to highlight the USA's shortcomings in the light of criticism of China (28th Dec.); that the US climate change special envoy focussed on projected total emissions and ignored the more transparent measure of pollution per capita; that Obama's offer of a 17% cut is wholly dependent on Congressional approval and will still be less than Kyoto targets; that Obama suggested there had been a period of "two decades of talking and no action" without reecognising that this was not true of countries who signed up to Kyoto.]
John Prescott has been forceful in arguing a legally binding agreement could not have been reached at such an event, the Kyoto agreement set-up by forty-six mainly industrial countries only being agreed legally at subsequent events. http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/science_technology/prescott+climate+deal+not+a+disaster/3470837
One hundred and ninety-two countries have reached agreement to go to the next stage, agreeing a set of principles and taking them forward to conferences in Bonn and Mexico. Compared to a year ago, we have targets for significant cuts in emissions from developed countries, significant action from developing countries, and finance to help the victims of climate change - the poorest people in the world including in Bangladesh.
The Accord includes international backing for an overall limit of 2 degrees on global warming; agreement that all countries need to take action on climate change; and the provision of immediate and longer term financial help to those countries most at risk of climate change.
For the first time, the new Copenhagen Accord will also:
List what each country is doing to tackle climate change – including economy-wide commitments to cut emissions by developed countries and actions by developing countries
Introduce real scrutiny and transparency to ensure emission targets are put into effect, with mandatory reporting every two years for developing countries
Provide billion of immediate short term funding from developed countries over the next three years to kick start emission reduction measures and help the poorest countries adapt to the impacts of climate change
Commit developed countries to work to provide long term financing of 0 billion a year by 2020, a figure first put forward by Prime Minister Gordon Brown in June of this year.
Key passage from the agreement - http://centralcontent.fco.gov.uk/central-content/campaigns/act-on-copenhagen/resources/en/pdf/copenhagen-accord-auv - include
“We agree that deep cuts in global emissions are required according to science, and as documented by the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report with a view to reduce global emissions so as to hold the increase in global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius, and take action to meet this objective consistent with science and on the basis of equity. We should cooperate in achieving the peaking of global and national emissions as soon as possible, recognizing that the time frame for peaking will be longer in developing countries and bearing in mind that social and economic development and poverty eradication are the first and overriding priorities of developing countries and that a low-emission development strategy is indispensable to sustainable development.”
“Annex I Parties commit to implement individually or jointly the quantified economy-wide emissions targets for 2020, to be submitted ... by 31 January 2010”
There were also clauses on -
deforestation and forest degradation,
providing scaled up, new and additional, predictable and adequate funding as well as improved access to developing countries (approaching USD 30 billion for the period 2010 - 2012 with balanced allocation between adaptation and mitigation) and
on development and transfer of technology.
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