The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen ended
on 18 December 2009 with an agreement by countries to cap the global
temperature rise by committing to significant emission reductions,
and to raise finance to kickstart action in the developing world
to deal with climate change.
At the meeting, world leaders agreed 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 30 billion US 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.
Copenhagen United Nations Climate Change
Conference ended with political agreement to cap temperature rise,
reduce emissions and raise finance
