Copenhagen day three: Leaked draft text increases North-South divide

The leaked draft text has greatly upset delegates from developing countries, Left Foot Forward reports live from the climate change summit.

A leaked draft text for the Copenhagen Climate Deal shook the negotiations yesterday. The ‘Danish draft’ would have forced developing countries to commit to emission reduction targets and have adaptation finance tied to these commitments – two things the developing world has consistently rejected.

Lumumba Stanislaus Di-Aping, the Sudanese lead negotiator for the G77/China group, which speaks for 132 developing countries, led the cries of foul play. He met with over 50 African youth, breaking down as he explained how his group was being kept out of negotiations. This led to a large number of young Africans blocking a corridor surrounded by cameras as they chanted:

“Two degrees is suicide!”

Many inside the conference see the leak as another nail in the coffin for a legally binding treaty. Oscar Reyes from Carbon Trade Watch said:

“Just as significant is what the text does not include. There are no numbers on long-term financing, and there is no suggestion that these will be forthcoming in Copenhagen.

“The only figure offered is a projection of $10 billion per year of “fast start finance”, a scaled-down version of a plan first presented by UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown in late November.”

However, Andrew Light from the Center for American Progress took the ‘Danish leak’ to be part of a traditional negotiating pattern, calling Di-Aping’s reaction:

“Pure spin worthy of our best spinmeisters in D.C.”

He also pointed out that the text is weeks out of date and is part of a pattern of negotiating tactics used by Di-Aping since he started his present role last August.

UPDATE 3:10

The latest “Fossil of the Day” award goes to Ukraine – for having the worst target in the entire world, 20 per cent below 1990 levels, or, in other words, 75 per cent above today’s levels – a massive rise!

They also came third for buying carbon credits of Japan.

3 Responses to “Copenhagen day three: Leaked draft text increases North-South divide”

  1. Anon E Mouse

    This whole Copenhagen thing is rapidly descending into farce. Why didn’t these ‘delegates’ sort everything in advance and just meet up to dot he I’s and cross the T’s?

    Irrespective of one’s opinion on the reasons for climate change, there is simply no excuse for “leaked” drafts such as this being prepared in advance and the general incompetence that is being displayed here.

    Once again for all the talk and hot air we have the usual rich/poor divide and although it may be more realistic to allow more developed countries to pollute more that just isn’t fair.

    Where are these so called “hard decisions” that Gordon Brown and Ed Miliband keep banging on about?

    This whole thing is a bloody shambles and nothing legally binding will come of it. I can see it now. There will be loads of photographs of people shaking hands and (yet) another conference in a few months time. What a waste of time.

    Remind me again where we are on reducing CO2 and the Kyoto Protocol?

  2. casper

    Well, the UK is currently 1% below our 1990 levels (one of the few who are actually below). Mind you, the economic crisis will probably mean that other countries make their Kyoto targets by 2012.

  3. Sherlock Holmes and the Copenhagen Conundrum « Youth Delegation

    […] to believe everything we read in the Guardian. Our very own Casper ter Kuile, founder of the UKYD, reports how the leaked document provoked protests inside the conference centre. Alex Evans over on Global […]

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