New climate deal may have to wait

December 17, 2009

The Danish presidency of the climate summit in Copenhagen has sought to play down expectations of a comprehensive deal emerging from the meeting.

Officials said progress could be made, but an international agreement may have to wait until a 2010 meeting in Mexico.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the meeting her country was prepared to work towards mobilising $100bn a year for developing countries.

But talks are deadlocked at the climate summit with just two days left to run.

Developed and developing nations remain at odds over who should cut emissions, how deep the cuts should be, and how much aid should go to poor countries.

A source told the Danish newspaper Politiken: “We are fighting like mad and we haven’t given up, but we will need help from world leaders. They must put their money where their mouth is. Otherwise it’ll be very difficult.”

But there has been some progress - wealthy nations pledged new funds to bankroll the war on global warming.

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Brown: Climate ‘greatest’ challenge
On Thursday, Mrs Clinton told delegates: “In the context of a strong accord in which all major economies pledge meaningful mitigation actions and provide full transparency as to those actions, the US is prepared to work with other countries towards a goal of mobilising $100bn a year to address the needs of developing countries.”

She made it clear - as did Japan on Wednesday when announcing a specific figure for assistance - that the money was contingent on reaching a global deal here that met its criteria.

BBC environment correspondent Richard Black said developing countries are likely to point out that there is no figure for what the US is prepared to provide itself, either from public or private finance.

THE COPENHAGEN SUMMIT
The majority of the world’s governments are ‘deeply concerned’ that greenhouse gas emissions, if left unchecked, will lead to dangerous climate change
Delegates from more than 190 nations are in the Danish capital with the aim of reaching a new global agreement to curb these emissions
Observers say that a series of setbacks during negotiations makes a meaningful outcome increasingly unlikely
As things currently stand, there is not a framework in place to limit global emissions to a level that scientists say will avoid dangerous climate change
The sum is also less than the amount that UN agencies such as the World Bank and International Energy Agency calculates is necessary to help mitigation and adaptation in the developing world.

At least 130 world leaders are due to join the talks on Thursday, hoping to sign a new climate pact on Friday.

Addressing the summit on Thursday, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said he feared “a triumph of form over substance” at the outcome of the UN climate summit.

In his speech, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged the summit to “summon up the greatest level of ambition”.

“The success of our endeavours depends on us forging a new alliance,” he told delegates.

He added: “In these few days in Copenhagen which will be blessed or blamed for generations to come, we cannot permit the politics of narrow self-interest to prevent a policy for human survival.”

Taking charge

US President Barack Obama is due to attend the final day of the meeting on Friday, when world leaders will try to lay out a strategy to deal with climate change after the end of 2012, when obligations run out under the landmark Kyoto Protocol.

Developing countries, led by China, accused host Denmark of a lack of transparency by suggesting language for the agreement without full consultation by all sides on the 194-nation summit.

COPENHAGEN LATEST
Australia’s Kevin Rudd, Indonesia’s Susilo Yudhoyono, France’s Nicolas Sarkozy and Germany’s Angela Merkel and UK’s Gordon Brown among world leaders due to address the conference on Thursday
Japan offers $5bn a year to poor nations if a deal is reached
Australia, France, Japan, Norway, the UK and US collectively commit $3.5bn over three years to combating deforestation
Updated: 08:07 GMT, 17 December

Climate change in graphics
Q&A: Copenhagen summit
And China told participants that it saw no chance of reaching an operational accord this week, an unnamed official told Reuters news agency.

Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen has taken charge of the Wednesday-Friday segment involving heads of state and government.

Denmark said it was trying to simplify several complex draft negotiating texts to help the world leaders to agree on a deal.

But BBC environment correspondent Roger Harrabin, in Copenhagen, says the Danish hosts do not appear to have worked out how the political leaders will take part in the formal UN negotiating process.

That process itself has been in disarray, our correspondent says, with nations refusing to agree with the Danish prime minister’s demands that they should negotiate on a slimmed down text.

Containing emissions to a level associated with a temperature rise of no more than 2C is the stated aim of the big nations here.

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Glossary in full As things are going they will miss that target by a considerable margin, our correspondent says.

The poorest and most vulnerable nations say emissions should be contained to a level associated with a temperature rise of 1 or 1.5C.

They have no chance of getting their way, our correspondent adds.

On a more promising note, Japan promised poorer nations $15bn (£9bn) over three years if a deal is made.

The amount - payable from 2010-2012 - adds to the $10.6bn (£6.5bn) commitment over three years made by EU leaders at their summit last week.

Another pledge came from a six-member group - Australia, France, Japan, Norway, the UK and US - which will collectively commit $3.5bn over three years to combat deforestation.

New climate deal may have to wait

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