Copenhagen Day 12 – still waiting…

Day 12

So here we are – it is just after 9 pm in Copenhagen on the last day of COP 15, and still nothing, and no sign of there being anything other than a weak, watered down, political “accord” at best. Barack Obama hath spoken, and even that didn’t do the trick. In fact, neither the US nor China budged an inch in their respective speeches.

Now there is last minute frantic activity to try and salvage something from the wreckage:

US President Barack Obama has launched intense after-hours diplomacy with China, hoping to salvage a new world climate pact after warning that an imperfect deal would be better than no pact at all.

The language in the latest draft being negotiated has been described as weak and failing to commit nations to binding emissions reduction targets.

As the meeting deadline passed, different texts, and drafts were being distributed, but all failed to match the level of ambition scientists say is needed for comprehensive action to tackle climate change.

In the latest text, there are no binding commitments for individual countries to commit to a global fund for mitigation.

While there was recognition of the science that says a two-degree temperature rise is likely, it failed to commit nations to reducing emissions under 2020 targets.

Instead it acknowledged that “deep cuts were required”.

It also declared that countries would “enhance their long term cooperative action to climate change”.

But the language failed to include a legal framework. (source)

Sounds like political waffle. Obama couldn’t save the day, and even the Guardian is critical:

Barack Obama stepped into the chaotic final hours of the Copenhagen summit today saying he was convinced the world could act “boldly and decisively” on climate change.

But his speech offered no indication America was ready to embrace bold measures, after world leaders had been working desperately against the clock to try to paper over an agreement to prevent two years of wasted effort — and a 10-day meeting — from ending in total collapse.

Obama, who had been skittish about coming to Copenhagen at all unless it could be cast as a foreign policy success, looked visibly frustrated as he appeared before world leaders.

He offered no further commitments on reducing emissions or on finance to poor countries beyond Hillary Clinton’s announcement yesterday that America would support a $100bn global fund to help developing nations adapt to climate change.

He did not even press the Senate to move ahead on climate change legislation, which environmental organisations have been urging for months. (source)

More to come, if and when…