by Jbs122209 b3 — December 23, 2009—The final day of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (“COP15”) in Copenhagen, Denmark produced an agreement among the U.S. and leading developing countries on a so-called “Copenhagen Accord“, climaxing two weeks of climate negotiations.
The U.S., along with South Africa, India, Brazil and China drafted the climate change agreement reached in Denmark. The compromise calls for reducing emissions to keep temperatures from rising more than two degrees Celsius (3.6 F) above preindustrial levels. The nonbinding agreement also calls on rich nations to spend billions to help poor nations deal with drought and other impacts of climate change, and to develop clean energy.
Initial analysis by The Climate Group indicated that the accord did not contain emission targets for individual countries, a long-term emissions global goal, or agreement on any kind of legal outcome. It did contain figures for climate finance, a temperature goal, and an agreement on the contentious issue of monitoring, reporting and verification.
According to Danish daily Politiken, U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer judges the Copenhagen conference to have been a political success. However, the countries that are parties to the UNFCCC may now decide whether or not to sign on to the non-binding Copenhagen Accord. According to Politiken, 188 countries are likely to sign on, with only five countries—Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Sudan and Venezuela—seeming to be unwilling, although post-conference news from COP15 reveals discontent on the part of South Africa and other nations with the accord, so the final outcome is yet to be determined.
