Month on, countries still confused about Copenhagen Accord status
Indian Express | Feb 05, 2010
More than a month after the Copenhagen Accord came into existence, countries are still confused about the document’s current or future status and unable to decide what to treat it as. The Accord calls upon the world community to take actions to keep the rise in average global temperature to within 2 degree centigrade from pre-industrial levels.
The Accord has been received with a lot of skepticism. Many nations fear it would jeopardise the negotiating process already underway towards finding a legally-binding treaty on climate change. Others feel it might lead to a negation of the Kyoto Protocol.
The divergent views are also reflected in the different ways countries have responded to the requirement of associating themselves with the Accord. Countries like India and China did not even acknowledge its existance while informing UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) about the actions they intend to take to reduce emissions. “It is true that a number of countries have been struggling to decide how to deal with the Copenhagen Accord. Most countries see it as a strong political decision having the support of a large number of countries. But at the same time they respect the formal negotiating process under the framework convention and do not want the Accord to open up a new channel of negotiations,” Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of UNFCCC said.
Negotiations for a legally-binding treaty have been progressing on two simultaneous tracks. One is about fixing emission reduction targets on rich countries for a period beyond 2012 when the first commitment period of Kyoto Protocol ends. The second is supposed to finalise long-term response of rich as well as developing nations to deal with climate change. “Everyone I have spoken to feels we should use the Copenhagen Accord not as a new third track but just as an instrument to move forward on the current process of negotiations,” de Boer said.
He agreed at this time future of the Accord was not entirely clear. The legally-binding treaty is now expected at the next climate change conference in Mexico in December.
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