Copenhagen Climate Accord or Discord?
As the world waited with bated breath, the 13 day climate show came to bizarre end after just deciding to "take note" of the three-page five nation [US, Brazil, South Africa, India and China] document in the wee hours of extended Copenhagen conference. The final end-of-the conference statement – mischievously called an "Accord" – contains reference to limiting temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial levels, peaking of global and national emissions as soon as possible, factoring in overriding priorities of poverty for developing nations without any greenhouse gas (GHG) emission ceiling and time table. Sensing strident opposition from a large number of developing countries including Sudan, chair of the G77/China, the Danish Prime Minister Lars Rasmuessen, abruptly announced the decision to "take note of" the agreement instead of formally approving it. "If we strictly stick to the principle of consensus, this (the US-BASIC accord) cannot be adopted. I really regret it for this reason that we cannot adopt this document. It is true that this document cannot be put into operational effect. It is true but it is a reality", an apologetic Rasmuessen said. The Copenhagen Accord will serve as a face saver not only to the Danish Presidency but also provide boost to the leadership claim of the US President Barack Obama under the glow of the „promise‟ of his just awarded Nobel Peace Prize. He in fact went uninvited to the parleys of the BASIC countries to clinch the fatal deal. However, it dealt a major blow to the long-standing position of the developing countries as it omits any reference to the main pillar of the climate debate on "historical contribution" of the industrialized countries and the need for them to take the "lead". Political Statement In spite of the fact that the Copenhagen conference statement carries misleading nomenclature of an "Accord", it is merely a political document. It came up though various twists and turns to save the COP15 from being a disaster and was produced as a result of confabulations initially among just select band of some two dozen countries. It ended up jettisoning the established COP procedure to work out consensus. It is bound to serve as a very bad precedent and example of high-handedness of COP President who desperately needed to save his own credibility.
* Jawaharlal Nehru Chair in International Environmental Law and Chairman, Centre for International Legal Studies, SIS, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067; E-mail: desai@mail.jnu.ac.in