Time for countries behind Copenhagen Accord to show they are serious

“Currently, the Copenhagen Accord sets out one agreed goal – keeping the world below the two degrees Celsius danger threshold for global warming,” said Kim Carstensen, leader of WWF’s global climate initiative. “Sunday is the self-imposed deadline for countries to lay out what they are actually going to do to keep the world out of the danger zone.”

Carstensen said that for the great majority of countries this implied a considerable increase on commitments so far. “Emissions reductions on the table at Copenhagen were clearly setting us up for a world three or four degrees warmer, even without taking into account various large loopholes allowing for dubious emissions reductions claims and double counting of claims.”

Developed nations must set targets to cut emissions by 25-40 per cent by 2020, compared to 1990 levels. At the time of Copenhagen, only Norway with a 40 per cent reduction target, met this ambition level. Japan has announced that it put a target of minus 25 per cent into the Accord, which is not far off the mark, while Australia this week disappointed by announcing it intended to stand by its five per cent reduction target.

“Without stronger climate commitments from countries like Canada, the Copenhagen Accord risks becoming a cap on ambition and innovation rather than on pollution,” said Gerald Butts, President and CEO, WWF-Canada. “As host of the G20 meeting in June, Canada has an opportunity to help the world get back on track to a climate friendly future.”

Major emerging economies – the BASIC Group of Brazil, South Africa, India and China – last weekend announced they intended to meet the January 31 deadline with more detail on voluntary mitigation programmes under the accord.

“This is a very helpful move from major developing countries. We expect they will announce high levels of ambition and follow up urgently with clear national action plans to meet this ambition,” Carstensen said.

WWF today released The Copenhagen Accord: A Stepping Stone? analysing how the world might begin the journey from the political agreement of the Copenhagen Accord to an internationally binding climate treaty in Mexico City in December. The global conservation organisation also said it was still waiting on urgently required announcements under the accord on financial aid to help developing countries prevent and cope with climate change.

“There is a general awareness that the world failed to do what was needed in Copenhagen,” Carstensen said. “But climate change is not a problem that will go away, but a problem that will get worse and more costly to deal with the longer we delay effective action.”

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Download the report:

More detail on the Copenhagen Accord, how it might lead to a binding international climate agreement, the shortfalls between emissions reductions commitments to date and what is needed to keep below the two degree danger limit can be found in The Copenhagen Accord: A Stepping Stone? which can be found at

http://assets.panda.org/downloads/the_stepping_stone_final_280110.pdf

For more information:

Keith Stewart, Climate Change Program Director, WWF-Canada, 416-508-3456, [email protected]