Chances of a meaningful Copenhagen deal fading, negotiators say

Mood at Copenhagen talks darkens with news that China is setting its sights on a purely political – not legal – climate agreement

Allegra Stratton in Copenhagen and agencies
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 17 December 2009 10.34 GMT
The chances of a meaningful deal emerging from the Copenhagen climate negotiations receded overnight as reports emerged that the Chinese were now setting their sights on a purely political agreement rather than a detailed text.
British officials acknowledged the mood continued to darken with one saying "the process is not in great shape" and expectations of a draft text being produced this morning failed to materialise, something Danish sources blamed on the Chinese position.
Gordon Brown also appeared to downgrade even his aspirations for a follow-up conference, which many had been focusing on for months as it became apparent as early as October that Copenhagen was only going to produce a political document rather than legal document.
The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, also struck a downbeat note in a speech she made to parliament before travelling to Copenhagen. According to Reuters, she said that news of the negotiations had not been good and she warned a failure to reach an agreement would be damaging. "The news that we've been receiving is not good," she said. "I must say very honestly, that the United States offer to cut [CO2 emissions] by 4% compared to 1990 levels is not ambitious."
In his speech at Copenhagen, Brown said nations should attempt to drive through legislation in six months to one year, a slight delay on his previous ambition of six months. He urged countries to: "Commit to turn this agreement into a legally binding instrument within six months to a year as we build on the Kyoto protocol."
Aides said Brown's three-minute speech to the conference floor was going to be important in focusing minds with a section calling on countries such as the US to move to "the highest possible level of ambition for 2020" and also assuring developing countries that long funds provided by developed countries to smooth transition to a low carbon future would not necessarily come from existing aid budgets, as is the case in the short term. In his speech, he said: "We must commit to additionality in our support so that we do not force a choice between meeting the needs of the planet and meeting the millennium development goals."
With its mention of "additionality", the speech appears to be the first declaration of more public funds being directed towards climate change, but an aide was unable to answer how Brown would financially meet the pledge while government is cutting spending to reduce the budget deficit.
His speech also contained words of assurance for the Chinese delegation concerned that any promise they make to curb carbon emissions will require intrusive monitoring by other countries around the world. He called for "transparency in accounting for both developed and developing countries, including international discussion and without diminishing national sovereignty".
Brown said that the international negotiations should achieve:
• A long-term goal of a global temperature increase by 2050 of "no more than 2C".
• All developed countries moving to their "highest possible level of [emission cut] ambition for 2020".
• Developing countries committing to "nationally appropriate mitigation actions at their highest level of ambition" achieving a significant reduction from "business as usual".
• Developed countries committing to immediate finance for developing countries starting from Jan 2010, rising to $10bn (£6.2bn) annually by 2010.
• Long-term finance by 2020 the goal of $100bn a year "to come from private and public sources".
• Committing additional funds after 2012 to ensure funds to developing countries do not simply come from redirected aid budgets.
• Transparency between countries "without diminishing national sovereignty".
• A commitment to turn this agreement into a legally binding instrument within six months to a year, as "we build on the Kyoto protocol".