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Copenhagen summit draws mixed sentiments
by Ishita Sood - December 19, 2009 - comments
President Obama at the Copenhagen Summit said that the deal was meaningful, as for the first time all major countries came forward to accept their responsibility
Copenhagen, Denmark, December 19 -- Five countries at the Copenhagen Summit reached a non-binding agreement for the climate deal, as others reacted angrily, saying that the deal was baseless and did not curb greenhouse gas emissions.
The two-week long climate summit at Copenhagen, a treaty which replaced Kyoto Protocol of 1997, came to a standstill Saturday as world leaders struggled to conclude the summit positively.
The deal
The Copenhagen agreement calls for all participating countries to control greenhouse gas emissions. A payment of $100 billion is to be made to all developing nations to help them deal with climate change.
However, there was no commitment regarding reducing pollutants in the deal. Many countries showed anger and disapproval over the same.
The deal also called for reduction of temperature by 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). British Prime Minister Gordon Brown welcomed the deal with open arms calling for universal support.
“Let's remember, a year ago nobody thought this sort of agreement was possible,” he said.
Obama’s take on the climate treaty
US President Barack Obama said that US, China, Brazil, India and South Africa have agreed to reduce global warming to two degrees Celsius.
He said the agreement was meaningful but would not go far.
“Today we have made a meaningful and unprecedented breakthrough here in Copenhagen. For the first time in history, all major economies have come together to accept their responsibility to take action to confront the threat of climate change.
This progress did not come easily and we know this progress alone is not enough ... We've come a long way but we have much further to go,” he said.
Obama met with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, twice, to clear previous disputes that had blocked progress. The U.S. and China are the world’s largest carbon polluters.
Criticism on the summit
The 193-nation summit attracted a lot of criticism and controversy as well. Countries like Bolivia, Venezuela and Sudan said the deal was unacceptable.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the agreement was “clearly below” the European Union's goal.
John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, said there were no targets of carbon cuts at all.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was highly disappointed, and said that there was lack of transparency in the deal. He also professed that he would not accept any document that Obama slipped under the door.
Another delegate from Papua New Guinea, Thomas Negints, held the same view, and said that President Obama was not proactive.