Copenhagen 'an essential step,' says NGO
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Amidst cries of failure and accusations against China, one organization is taking a more positive view of the U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen. Oxfam Hong Kong called the Copenhagen Accord a step in the right direction and noted the pivotal role China played to make it happen.
Wang Binbin, a spokesperson for Oxfam Hong Kong, said that although the Copenhagen Accord was not legally binding and fell short of expectations, the conference was not a failure. Rather, the world's biggest carbon dioxide emitters were able to reach a deal that included China, India, Japan, the EU and, most notably, the U.S., which was not part of the Kyoto Protocol that was signed in 1997.
"It was not easy to reach this step," Wang said. The 28 countries that hammered out the agreement account for 80 percent of the world's carbon emissions and include all of the major world economies.
Oxfam Hong Kong is a branch of Oxfam International, which aims to alleviate poverty and advocates for developing countries. It believes climate change is making conditions even worse for the world's poorest people.
Wang noted that the Copenhagen summit was the largest and most important U.N. climate change conference. Altogether, 193 countries and 117 world leaders attended the conference – the most since World War II.
"Compared with the world wars, it's a great way for (leaders) to talk about this issue in a meeting, where every participator has the right to speak," Wang said.
She lauded the agreement for its promise from developed countries to provide US$30 billion more in resources over the next three years and creation of a fund to help poor and vulnerable nations adapt to climate change impacts.
"It's the first time countries have emphasized adaptation, which is essential for poor people to cope with climate change," Wang said.
China helped, not hurt, agreements
She also downplayed accusations that China "hijacked" the conference. Instead, she said China helped to speed up negotiations and shape the accord.
Often chaotic arguments and strained negotiations dominated most of the summit until a breakthrough in the final two days. Prime Minister Wen Jiabao spoke with eight world leaders on the phone before joining the conference, where he met 11 leaders, including U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
"China made great compromises to reach a deal in the end," Wang said, noting that China did not have to make the concessions.
Wang said China originally wanted to stick to the Kyoto Protocol and have developed countries commit to their target reductions first. But in the end, China's negotiators said it was more important to reach a deal as long as it didn't deviate from the basic principles of the Kyoto Protocol.
The Kyoto Protocol called for commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by member countries. Under the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities," developed countries were legally bound to reduce their emissions by a certain percentage of 1990 levels; for developing nations, including China and India, there was no reduction target.
"I can understand the disappointments of some developing countries, the Alliance of Small Island States, the African Union and the poorest countries," Wang said regarding those countries' high expectations and perception of China's betrayal. "But what China has done was all for a promise, and that's the most important thing. It offers a path to the next step."
She said the conference was never about being an end. Rather, the consensus is paving the way for the next round of negotiations (in Mexico next year), all in preparation for the birth of a legally binding agreement.
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