Felix von Geyer, in his final blog posting from Copenhagen, describes the final hours of the climate negotiations which ended in predictable stalemate on Saturday

A global climate accord committing the world to no more than a two degree Celsius temperature increase was finally agreed Saturday morning.

This was despite the challenges that faced the proverbial cable car that UN climate chief Yvo de Boer had referred to this week.

Only on Thursday de Boer described the stop-start negotiations like a cable car that had made an unexpected stop but should now finish its ride smoothly.

Earlier on Friday, US President Barack Obama called for “an accord taking us further than one ever seen before.”

By Friday, the unexpected happened - the mountain suddenly appeared bigger as world leaders’ and delegations appeared radically split along North-South lines of developed and developing world responsibilities, accountability and transparency.

In response, de Boer told Ethical Corporation around midnight on Friday, “The mountain goes on and on, shall we say.”

Developing countries initially opposed a draft text that committed to short-term funding of $30 billion by 2012 and $100 billion a year by 2020.

They stated a commitment to preventing annual global warming temperatures from exceeding two degrees Celsius increase with a view to turning the Accord into a legally binding agreement by end of 2010.

Brazil’s President Lula had earlier tried bridging the North-South divide when he told the plenary of his frustration.

After a long time of negotiations, climate change is “more severe than we could even imagine,” said Lula.

He outlined Brazil’s own pledge to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions approximately 38% by 2020.

Key points essential to moving forward said Lula, are the need to commit global warming temperatures no more than two degrees Celsius and commitments to financing.

Human rights activist Bianca Jagger called the Copenhagen Accord’s failure to provide a legally binding agreement “shameful, shocking and outrageous”.

Jagger referred particularly to the US pledge to reduce emissions only 3.2% below 1990 levels by 2020.

She condemned world leaders for making an agreement without “the fortitude to make an announcement.”

President Obama made a closed live-stream press conference with a select group of White House press corps only.

Similarly, Canada’s Stephen Harper whisked away parliamentary press gallery media to his Radisson Blu Scandinavian hotel for a private press conference.

Meanwhile Mexico’s President Calderon made a general statement to the media with no time for questions.

Only Swedish Prime Minister Reinfeld and EU President Jose Manuel Barroso faced the press.

The Accord “is not perfect…but it is better than no accord,” said Barroso.

On the basis of this accord, the EU would only implement its lower emissions reduction target of 20% below 1990 levels by 2020.

The Copenhagen Accord referenced the two working groups set up under the Bali Roadmap two years ago: the Long-term Co-operative Action (LCA) and the Kyoto Protocol that were originally destined to lead to a comprehensive and legally binding agreement in Copenhagen.

On Saturday morning, the conference agreed to “take note” of the Accord, language that has the same legal validation as “accept” according to Robert Orr, UN assistant secretary-general for policy planning.

UN secretary general Ban-Ki Moon told reporters Saturday lunchtime that the Accord “may not be everything that everyone had hoped for” but welcomed the two degree aim, the agreement to preserve forests including through REDD (reducing emissions through deforestation and degradation).

The three tracks that must now be taken forward said Mr Ban, were to turn the Accord into a legally binding treaty, launch the Copenhagen Climate Green Fund for providing finance to developing countries for mitigation and adaptation and to “pursue higher ambition,” he said.

However, as negotiators digested the agreement Saturday, China opposed the US position of implementing the Accord under the UN framework convention.

2010 could be a tough negotiating year.



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