Copenhagen ‘deal’ is a ‘shameful and monumental failure’

The UK based, anti poverty campaigners, the World Development Movement branded the Copenhagen talks as a ‘shameful and monumental failure.’ 
 
Tim Jones, climate policy officer at the World Development Movement said:
 “This summit has been in complete disarray from start to finish, culminating in a shameful and monumental failure that has condemned millions of people around the world to untold suffering. The leaders of rich countries have refused to lead. They have been captured by business interests at a time when people need leaders to put justice first."

“Rich countries have failed the poorest people in the world and history will judge them harshly. They have failed to offer the emissions cuts that science and justice requires. To say that this ‘deal’ is in any way historic or meaningful is to completely misrepresent the fact that this ‘deal’ is meaningless."

President Obama has presented a ‘deal’ in the form of a Copenhagen Accord. However, it was drafted with participation from just a small number of countries, the majority of them rich. Several developing countries have refused to sign, and it has not been adopted as a UN agreement.

"Countries have been right to resist the signing of the Accord. It would be better to accept the failure of this meaningless 'deal', than pretend that something has been achieved. The leaders of rich countries have refused to lead and instead sought to bribe and bully developing nations to sign up to the equivalent of a death warrant. Saying the Accord needs to be signed for the pathetic amount of climate aid to start flowing is nothing short of blackmail."

During Saturday morning, the US and UK made it clear that if poor countries want any of the 'approaching' $10 billion of mainly climate loans through the World Bank, they have to go along with the stitched-up agreement. Despite this pressure, some of the countries most vulnerable to climate change have resisted, and the 'deal' is not a UN agreement.

Below WDM analyses where negotiations now stand on key issues.

Emissions cuts to stop global temperatures rising to disastrous levels: 0/10
Tim Jones continued: “The politicians know that the science is indisputable and that rich countries have the historical responsibility to cut their own emissions by more than 40 per cent on 1990 levels by 2020. No rich country has offered to do this.”
 
“The first task in Copenhagen was for rich countries to commit to strong emission targets for 2013-2017, under the Kyoto protocol. None have done so. This has blocked negotiations for the last two weeks. Unless and until rich countries get serious about cutting their use of fossil fuels by as much as possible as soon as possible, there is little point to international negotiations.”

Immediate climate finance for developing countries: 0/10
Tim Jones continued: “The rich world owes a massive climate debt to developing nations. But all we have seen at Copenhagen is a paltry $8 billion put on the table. Developing countries have said that $400 billion is needed now. But the small print that goes with this figure is deeply concerning.

“Much of the money is loaned to developing countries, not given as genuine aid. It is like driving a juggernaut into someone’s house, and instead of the driver paying compensation for the damage that they have caused, they lend some cash to the home owner for repairs, but demand the money back with interest.”
 
Medium term climate financing for developing countries: 0/10
Tim Jones commented: “This $100 billion fund is a red herring designed to fool people into thinking that developed countries are paying their dues. The reality is in start contrast to this. No country has actually committed to putting any specific money into it. It is entirely possible that up to half of this finance will be raised through carbon trading, which does not reduce emissions. What’s more unbelievable is that developing countries will also be expected to contribute to pay the climate debt owed to them.”
 
Bribery and back room strong arming: 9/10
Tim Jones said: “The Copenhagen Accord has been negotiated between a few countries behind closed doors, completely bypassing the UN process. This contempt for democracy and transparency reflects the attitude taken by rich countries for the past two weeks.

"It's absolutely scandalous that developing countries are being told that international aid and finance to cope with the impacts of climate change is dependent on cooperation at these talks. The bullying and bribery tactics being employed by rich countries to force through a bad deal are disgusting and deeply immoral. They are trying to pay developing countries to sign their own death warrant.”
 
Barak Obama: 0/10
Tim Jones commented: "The President said he came to act, but showed little evidence of doing so. He showed no awareness of the inequality and injustice of climate change. President Obama proposed that US emissions should be as high in 2020 as they were in 1990, whilst aggressively demanding that China do more. It is the US and Europe's complete inertia which has led to the stalled negotiations. If America has really made its choice, it is a choice that condemns hundreds of millions of people to climate change disaster."

"President Obama has sought to force a pathetic deal on the world, even though it has not been agreed in the UN."
 
Gordon Brown: 3/10
Tim Jones commented: “Gordon Brown has been strong on rhetoric but weak on substance. The Prime Minister called for the strongest level of ambition, yet did not increase the UK’s current feeble target for reducing its own emissions. A call for money was made, but the Prime Minister failed to say the UK is giving just £500 million a year, much of which was first announced in 2007. Almost all of this is loans, further increasing the unjust debts of developing countries. The Prime Minister failed to live up to his ambition of becoming an international leader at these talks.”

"The UK resorted to blatent bribery to try to force through this meaingless Accord in an attempt to save face."

Governance of finance: 0/10
Tim Jones said: “Key to ensuring finance is properly spent on tackling climate change is to ensure it is well governed. However, rich countries are fighting for money to go through the World Bank, which has a long history of pushing fossil fuels, forcing through damaging economic policies and silencing the voices of civil society. If money goes through the World Bank, rich countries can control how it is spent and which countries it goes to. The developing countries have consistently demanded that money should be under the authority of the UNFCCC, and civil society insists that they must play an active role in governing and scrutinizing money so that it is well spent.
 
“By saying that new funds will be created under the “guidance” of the UNFCCC, the Copenhagen Accord is creating an opportunity for the World Bank to control the climate funds. Rich countries are already making the World Bank the de facto climate fund by channelling climate money through it.”

Timescale: 0/10
Tim Jones said: “The threat of climate change is urgent. No time can be wasted in talking shops and political game playing. A legally binding treaty with justice at its heart that will actually prevent dangerous climate change is needed now. Yet the Copenhagen Accord sets no way forward or deadline to reach a proper agreement. There needs to be a complete turn around in attitude next year if we are to get a deal that is just, equitable and actually prevents dangerous climate change.”
 
Danish government: 0/10
Tim Jones said: “The Danish government has tried to silence voices calling for climate justice in Copenhagen. Protesters have suffered from police brutality, tear gas and indiscriminate arrests. Delegates have been refused entry en masse, keeping climate justice voices away from governments and the media. The Danish Prime Minister has continually tried to force an unjust and ineffective agreement on developing countries, outside of the transparent process.”
 
ENDS