Copenhagen: ambitions versus outcomes

As the dust (or snow) settles on the UN Climate Conference, we summarise the ambitions going in and outcomes after 2 weeks of intense wrangling.

The outcome of COP-15:
•    An accord reached between the US, China, India, Brazil and South Africa which recognizes limiting temperature rises to less than 2C above pre-industrial levels.
•    A financial package of $30bn in aid for developing nations to be provided over the next three years, with a goal of providing a total of $100bn a year by 2020, jointly mobilised by developed nations.
•    Transparency has been limited to emerging nations monitoring their own efforts, and asked to submit national reports on their emission pledges to the UN every two years.
•    The accord has to be endorsed by the 193 countries at the talk sto become an official UN agreement. Countries have been asked to submit their pledges for curbing carbon emissions by 2020, by February 1st 2010.

What the world had hoped for:
•    A legally binding agreement, to include the US, India, China and Brazil, that would limit temperature rises to less than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
•    An effective climate governance framework that widened targets beyond the Kyoto signatories, with realistic delivery timetables and an equitable price for carbon.
•    Fair mechanisms and resources to be provided to all nations, and particularly developing ones, to enable them to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change.
•    Financial mechanisms to stimulate extensive infrastructure investment in decarbonisation.

A lot more lies ahead for 2010 with gatherings in Bonn and Mexico to secure the future of a global climate deal. We'll keep you posted.