Copenhagen Climate Summit
Delegates at the Copenhagen Summit have agreed to "take note" of the US-backed agreement on climate change.
"The conference decides to take note of the Copenhagen Accord of December 18, 2009," the chairman of the plenary session of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) declared.
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Delegates at the Copenhagen Summit have agreed to "take note" of the US-backed agreement on climate change.
"The conference decides to take note of the Copenhagen Accord of December 18, 2009," the chairman of the plenary session of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) declared. (AFP Photo) -
This does not mean that it has been adopted since differences over the US-led accord brokered with the BASIC countries - Brazil, South Africa, India and China - still persist.
It has left open the question of whether the effort to curb greenhouse gases from the world's largest emitters would gain the full support of the 193 countries bound by the 1992 Framework Convention on Climate Change. (AFP Photo) -
Delegates had been battling to prevent the talks ending without reaching a final deal.
Earlier, a US-led group of five nations - including India and China - tabled a last-minute proposal that US President Barack Obama called a "meaningful agreement".
The US BASIC reached an agreement on a number of issues, such as a recognition to limit temperature rises to less than 2C (3.6F). (AFP Photo) -
However, it was rejected by a few developing nations who were angered by the draft proposals and felt it failed to deliver the actions needed to halt dangerous climate change.
Bolivia, Cuba and Venezuela remain opposed to it. They say there were not included in the late Friday night negotiations. (AFP Photo) -
The draft agreed upon falls far short of what climate activists and many counties hoped to see at Copenhagen. Instead of a binding agreement, at best, the Summit has resulted in a political statement of purpose that has counties committing to continue negotiations.
The US and BASIC countries say they will agree to individual, and joint targets by February 1, 2010. A Measurable, Reportable, Verifiable (MRV) formula will be adopted to ensure accountability. (AFP Photo) -
But the deal does not set specific mid-term or long-term emission cuts for any country. Rich countries have not been given any overall targets.
The proposed deal does see countries volunteering to take action to fight global warming. A significant breakthrough seems a compromise on what was a huge sticking point -how much each country's internal actions can be monitored by the world. China and India had both objected to this, claiming it would infringe upon their sovereignty. (AFP Photo) -
It also mentions short-term funding of roughly $30 billion over three years beginning in 2010 to help developing countries adapt to climate change and shift to clean energy.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his speech on Friday had urged richer nations not to abandon the principles of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. Developed nations already covered by the 1997 Kyoto Protocol (the U.S. is not included) would have their emissions cuts monitored and would face possible sanctions if they fail to meet them. (AFP Photo) -
The agreement between the US and BASIC countries was achieved after Obama held talks with leaders of the four countries, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Talks were also held with European leaders, including British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. (AFP Photo) -
Obama said the US has reached a "meaningful" deal to curb greenhouse gas emissions with four emerging economies, including India, but warned it was not enough to battle climate change.
"It is going to be very hard, and it's going to take some time (to achieve a legally binding deal)," he said at the conclusion of the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit. (AFP Photo)
