"Copenhagen Agreement"

Of course the forcibly driven so-called "copenhagen Agreement" has lots of smaller & poorer countries opposing it, though the US, UN Secretariat and the four 'BASIC' countries (Brasil, South Africa, India, China) - along with rich nations pushed it thru --

though poorer Latin American countries say -->
it is a coup de-tat against the authority of the United Nations,
African countries are calling it -->
a suicide pact for African & small island states
-- Soumya Dutta
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Here is some reporting --

The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed a US-backed climate deal in Copenhagen as an "essential beginning".

He was speaking after delegates passed a motion recognizing the agreement, which the US reached with key nations including China and Brazil.

But Mr Ban said the agreement must be made legally binding next year.

Earlier, the meeting failed to secure unanimous support, amid opposition from some developing nations.


US-LED COPENHAGEN DEAL --

No reference to legally binding agreement
Recognises the need to limit global temperatures rising no more than 2C above pre-industrial levels
Developed countries to "set a goal of mobilising jointly $100bn a year by 2020 to address the needs of developing countries"
On transparency: Emerging nations monitor own efforts and report to UN every two years. Some international checks
No detailed framework on carbon markets - "various approaches" will be pursued

Updated: 06:40 GMT, 19 December

Climate deal: Key issues

Several South American countries, such as Nicaragua and Venezuela, were among a group saying the agreement had not been reached through proper process.

"The conference decides to take note of the Copenhagen Accord of December 18, 2009," the chairman of the plenary session of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) declared on Saturday morning, swiftly banging down his gavel.

Mr Ban told journalists: "Finally, we sealed the deal."

"It may not be everything we hoped for, but this decision of the Conference of Parties is an essential beginning."

AT THE SCENE
Richard Black,
BBC News environment correspondent

When President Obama left Copenhagen last night, he appeared to think he carried a nice, neat deal in his back pocket.
Perhaps he didn't realise that having it formally adopted in the closing plenary session here would mean getting it past a hall full of smart diplomats and lawyers from countries that hate the contents of the deal and the way it was done.

Objections from several countries mean it has not been formally adopted. Delegations are now trying to introduce language making some bits legally binding.

A global deal? That's looking less and less likely& whether it matters, whether the Chinese and US architects care, is another matter.

Richard Black's Earth Watch blog

But the UN Secretary General also said: "We must transform this into a legally binding treaty next year.

"The importance will only be recognised when it's codified into international law."

'Suicide pact'

Delegates at the climate summit had been battling through the night to prevent the talks ending without reaching a final deal.

The Copenhagen Accord is based on a proposal tabled on Friday by a US-led group of five nations - including China, India, Brazil and South Africa - that President Barack Obama called a "meaningful agreement".

The accord includes a recognition to limit temperature rises to less than 2C (3.6F) and promises to deliver $30bn (£18.5bn) of aid for developing nations over the next three years.

It outlines a goal of providing $100bn a year by 2020 to help poor countries cope with the impacts of climate change.


THE COPENHAGEN ACCORD

Documents in full [163 KB]
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The agreement also includes a method for verifying industrialised nations' reduction of emissions. The US had insisted that China dropped its resistance to this measure.

Earlier, the proposal had been rejected by a few developing nations which felt that it failed to deliver the actions needed to halt dangerous climate change.

The main opposition to the five-nation accord had come from the ALBA bloc of Latin American countries to which Nicaragua and Venezuela belong, along with Cuba, Ecuador and Bolivia.

Venezuelan delegate Claudia Salerno Caldera said before the motion was passed: "Mr President, I ask whether - under the eye of the UN secretary general - you are going to endorse this coup d'etat against the authority of the United Nations."

Lumumba Stanislaus Di-Aping, the Sudanese negotiator, had said the draft text asked "Africa to sign a suicide pact".

During the two-week gathering, small island nations and vulnerable coastal countries had been calling for a binding agreement that would limit emissions to a level that would prevent temperatures rising more than 1.5C (2.7F) above pre-industrial levels.
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