Copenhagen Climate Conference Summit
Climate conference on copenhagen finally achieve a summit. Reports claimed that a deal looked increasingly likely with large numbers of developing countries signalling that they would support the deal in return for access to the $30bn of climate funding on offer over the next three years. And Green groups were quick to condemn an agreement that contained no short term emission targets and few solid commitments, beyond a pledge to keep temperature rises below two degrees, plans for $100bn of climate funding from 2020, and proposals for an international mechanism for verifying carbon emissions.
China on Sunday welcomed the outcome of climate change talks in Copenhagen, the day after a deal reached to fight global warming came in for heavy criticism. “With the efforts of all parties, the summit yielded significant and positive results,” foreign minister Yang Jiechi was quoted as saying in a statement on the foreign ministry website.
The agreement was assembled at the last minute by a small group consisting of leaders of the United States, China, India, Brazil, South Africa and major European nations, after it became clear the summit was in danger of failure. It set a commitment to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit), but did not spell out the important stepping stones — global emissions targets for 2020 or 2050 — for getting there.
Nor did it identify a year by which emissions should peak, and pledges were made voluntary and free from tough compliance provisions. Yang, who never specifically mentioned the accord, said the summit had successfully maintained the principle of “common but differentiated responsibility,” which recognises differing economic circumstances between emerging and rich nations.
China, the world’s biggest carbon polluter, has always said rich countries should take the lead in committing to substantial emission reduction targets and provide finance to developing countries battling climate change. Yang added that the summit made a step forward with regards to developed countries’ mandatory emissions cuts and developing nations’ voluntary mitigation actions.
“Third, it reached broad consensus on the key issues of long-term global targets, funding, technology support (to developing countries), and transparency,” Yang said, according to the statement. China has pledged to reduce carbon emissions per unit of gross domestic product by 40 to 45 percent by 2020 based on 2005 levels.
