COP15 – A good start or a bad flop?

Is the Copenhagen Accord a complete waste of time or good foundations for a binding treaty?

Since the closing of the UN Climate Change summit in Copenhagen, there has been widespread disappointment that no legally binding treaty has resulted that commits countries to set targets and deadlines for tackling emissions and climate change. But did anyone really expect an agreement to be made that easily, in the space of two weeks between over 190 nations? And have you heard of Gordon Brown’s determination to take the Accord forward and make a legally binding agreement by the end of the year?

A Good Start

The media have helped to spread the word that the UN Climate Change talks were a complete failure with little agreement between nations, and only a handful of leaders signing up to a token accord. But should we really be that negative about the whole thing?

As Jonathan Porritt recently wrote in the Times “…. it matters that China, India and the United States have, for the first time, formally recognised the need for “deep cuts” in emissions of CO2. Of course it’s a good thing that rich-world countries have committed “to a goal of mobilising $100 billion a year by 2020” to help the poor world to cope with climate change. And of course it’s critical that the science underpinning these two commitments has been strongly reconfirmed.”

As this points out, until recently, some nations have not recognised the need for strong action; huge amounts of money are needed to assist poorer nations cope with the impacts of climate change and the foundations of the science behind climate change have recently come into question. So why aren’t people praising the world leaders for meeting and discussing this issue, and does it have to be such a negative, disappointing outcome to not have a legally binding treaty at the end of just 12 days of discussions?

The game is not over yet, much can still be achieved in the coming months as Gordon Brown has said “I am now going to lead a campaign around the world with other countries for the legally binding treaty that is the obvious next stage from this”. So all is not lost, progress still can be made and praise should be given where due.

A Bad Flop

Well, the above argument may be harshly squashed by Jonathon Porritt’s comments from the same article “… to bill the Copenhagen accord as anything other than a failure is simply dishonest.” He goes on to slate the agreement “The accord itself has no formal standing, and there are no firm figures in it regarding either the scale or urgency of the cuts required, even though many countries are already signed-up to such cuts. There are no details as to how the $100 billion will be raised. Worst of all, there is no commitment to move from this desperately inadequate accord to a legally binding treaty over the next year.”

Many people feel let down by the leaders who failed to act and co-operate when it really mattered and instead came up with a rather vague deal that many nations have not agreed to. As many climate change deniers still remain, the apparent failure of the summit may give them a sense of success as well as time to continue questioning the legitimacy of climate change science.

You can find the Copenhagen accord on the UNFCCC website and more discussions and opinions on the Edie and BBC websites.

Well, the argument could go on, but it would be good to hear your comments about the whole affair…..please let us know your thoughts.