DENMARK: Climate talks finally end with a bare minimum agreement; U.N. Secretary General says Copenhagen accord may be a disappointment to some but it is an essential beginning

Record ID: 560270

  • Title: DENMARK: Climate talks finally end with a bare minimum agreement; U.N. Secretary General says Copenhagen accord may be a disappointment to some but it is an essential beginning
  • Date: 20th December 2009
  • Summary: COPENHAGEN, DENMARK (DECEMBER 19, 2009) (POOL) WIDE OF PLENARY SESSION (SOUNDBITE) (English) PLENARY SESSION PRESIDENT, PHILIP WEECH FROM THE BAHAMAS, SAYING: "The draft decision reads as follows: the conference of the parties decides to take note of the Copenhagen accord of the eighteenth of December 2009. Attached to that report to this decision will be the accord itself, in the title of the accord, the list of those agreeing to the Copenhagen accord shall be specified in the title. It is so decided." VARIOUS OF DELEGATES STANDING UP AND APPLAUDING U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON WALKING INTO NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM BAN SITTING AT TABLE POURING GLASS OF WATER (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON SAYING: "The Copenhagen accord may not be everything everyone had hoped for. But this decision on the conference of parties is a beginning, an essential beginning. At the summit I convened in September in New York I laid out for benchmarks for success for this conference. We have achieved results on each. All countries have agreed to work towards a common long term goal to agree to limit global temperature rise to below two degrees Celsius. Many countries have made the important commitment to reduce or eliminate emissions." WIDE OF BAN SITTING AT TABLE (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON SAYING: "Going forward we have three tests. First we need to turn this agreement into a legally binding treaty. I will work with world leaders over the coming months to make this happen. Second we must launch the Copenhagen green climate fund. The U.N. system will work to ensure that it can immediately start to deliver immediate results to people in need and jump start clean energy growth in developing countries. Third we need to persue the road of higher ambition we mustn't turn our back on the path of least resistance. Current mitigation commitments failed to meet the scientific bottom line. We still face a series of consequences. So while I am satisfied that we have a deal here in Copenhagen I am aware that it is just the beginning. It will take more than this to definitely tackle climate change. But it is the step in the right direction." JOURNALIST ASKING QUESTION (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON SAYING: "Among 30 billion dollars (USD) over three years. Two thirds have already pledged and President Obama explained to the leaders that while the U.S. is going to take a fair share of the remaining...the budget of 2010 is not fully ready because they made the decision lately but he made the commitment himself that the U.S. will take the necessary fair burden sharing." WIDE OF BAN SITTING AT TABLE AS ANNOUNCER SAYS (English): "The Secretary General has to go back to the plenary to deliver his statement. He actually delivered the statement to you before he did to the member states." BAN LEAVING ROOM WIDE OF HALL FILLED WITH DELEGATES BAN SITTING AT TABLE SOUNDBITE) (English) UN SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON SAYING: "The negotiations continued all day today, yesterday. It has been extremely difficult. Sometimes there was some emotional, quite heated, quite dramatic discussion. I hope our heated discussions has not increased, has not helped in increasing global warming." WIDE OF HALL
  • Embargoed: 4th January 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Denmark
  • Country: Denmark
  • Topics: Environment / Natural World
  • Reuters ID: LVA7IQTWFRJXEIXWOA16FPDJ4151
  • Story Text: U.N. climate talks avoided a total collapse on Saturday (December 19) by skirting bitter opposition from several nations to a deal championed by the U.S. President Barack Obama and five emerging economies including China.
    There was spontaneous applause as the summit's plenary session President Philip Weech announced parties had agreed to "note" the accord.
    U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the agreement was an essential beginning, although he accepted the Copenhagen accord may not be everything everyone had hoped for.
    The accord is a non-binding deal for combating global warming led by the United States, China, India, Brazil and South Africa.
    The 193 nations stopped far from a full endorsement of the plan, which sets a target of limiting global warming to a maximum two degrees Celsius rise over pre-industrial times and holds out the prospect of 100 billion U.S.dollars in annual aid from 2020 for developing nations.
    The plan does not specify greenhouse gas cuts needed to achieve the two Celsius goal that is seen as a threshold for dangerous changes such as more floods, droughts, mudslides, sandstorms and rising seas.
    Ban highlighted three tests that lay before the world leaders. Firstly turning the agreement into a legally binding treaty, secondly the launch of the Copenhagen green climate fun and finally pursing "the road of higher ambition."
    In a stormy overnight session, the talks came to the brink of collapse after Sudan, Nicaragua, Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia lined up to denounce the U.S.-led plan after about 120 world leaders left after a summit on Friday (December 18).
    U.N. talks are meant to be agreed by unanimity. Under a compromise to avoid collapse, the deal would list the countries that were in favour of the deal and those against.
    The outcome may yield the initiative in forming world climate policy to the United States and China, the world's top two emitters of greenhouse gases, and underscored shortcomings in the chaotic U.N. process.
    China had resisted international monitoring of its emissions curbs and the final wording took into account Chinese concerns, speaking of the need to protect sovereignty.
    European nations were lukewarm to a deal that cut out some goals mentioned previously in draft texts, such as a target of halving world greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
    Many European nations want Obama to offer deeper U.S. cuts in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. But Obama was unable to, partly because carbon capping legislation is stalled in the U.S. Senate. Washington backed a plan to raise 100 billion U.S. dollars in aid for poor nations from 2020.
    The deal said developed nations should provide 30 billion U.S. dollars in aid to help the poor from 2010-12 ahead of the 2020 target.
    Ban said Obama stated the U.S. would contribute its fair share.
    He made his statement to reporters ahead of member states, but then rushed back to the plenary session to deliver his address.
    In one of the few light-hearted moments of the last 24 hours, Ban said they had witnessed emotional, often heated discussions, which he hoped would not add to the global warming.
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