Washington, December 19: The climate change conference collapsed on Saturday without a consensus although U.S. had brokered a political deal with India and three other emerging economies over non-legally-binding emission cuts which was rejected by an overwhelming number of developing nations calling it one-sided and “suicidal“.
As consensus for an ambitious deal to tackle climate change eluded the 12-day Conference of Parties (COP) here, U.S. President Barack Obama pushed for a pact during parleys that went down to the wire.
He put in a surprise appearance at a meeting of BASIC leaders involving Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and those constituting the bloc of Brazil, South Africa,India and China.
Early this morning capping 12 days of frenetic and sometimes dramatic discussions, Danish Prime Minister Lars Rasmuessen frankly admitted there was no consensus and the deal cannot be adopted.
“If we strictly stick to the principle of consensus, this (the US—BASIC accord) cannot be adopted. I really regret it for this reason that we cannot adopt this document.”
“It is true that this document cannot be put into operational effect. It is true but it is a reality,” he said.
Dr. Singh and Mr. Obama delayed their departures by several hours to hammer out a face-saving deal that asks both developed and developing nations to set theiremission targets by February 2010.
The U.S.—BASIC accord, taken as a final conference draft, contained elements like limiting temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, peaking of global and national emissions as soon as possible, factoring in overriding priorities of poverty for developing nations.
It calls on industrialised nations to set their emission targets by February, 2010 and also asks the developing countries to do the same.
In the contentious area of Monitoring, Verification and Reporting (MVR), it provides that unsupported actions could be subject to assessment only by domestic institutions but adds a new provision for international consultations and analysis without impinging on national sovereignty.
On the finance side, it provides USD 100 billion for long-term funding for developing countries and USD 30 billion for short-term, which would go to the poorest and most vulnerable.
Many of the African and Latin American countries attacked the document, saying it was not acceptable.
Sudanese delegate Lumumba Stanislas Dia-ping, who chaired the Group of 77 and the bloc of 130 poor nations, compared it to Holocaust. “It is a solution based on values, the very opinion that funnelled six million people in Europe into furnaces,” he said.
Calling the draft deal the worst in the history of climate negotiations, he said that it asked Africa to sign a “suicide pact, an incineration pact, in order to maintain the economic dominance of a few countries.”
The tense negotiations at one stage saw Britain, France and Australia expressing reservations on the Indian position relating toemission cuts, mitigation targets and finance.
“I think in the meeting that we had, unfortunately the French President (Nicolas Sarkozy) and British Prime Minister (Gordon Brown), many of them did not seem appreciative of India’s point of view. … Either they were not properly briefed or they chose deliberately to be oblivious of what we are doing,” Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said after the meeting.
“I tried my best, a couple of moments there were some sharp exchanges between me and President Sarkozy. But I must say Chancellor (Angela) Merkel (of Germany) was very supportive ofIndia, President Obama was very supportive of India.”
But, the Indian side did have some problem with Mr. Brown and Mr. Sarkozy and also twice with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Mr. Ramesh said.
However, he said, after the meeting these leaders stated that they respected Dr. Singh and knew what a “great Prime Minister he is and what good jobIndia is doing.”
Besides Sudan, several countries including Venezuela and Bolivia rejected the document saying it lacked targets for reducing carbon emissions.
The three-page deal promised USD 30 billion in emergency aid to vulnerable countries in the next three years and set a goal of USD 100 billion by 2020 to developing nations with no guarantees.
–Agencies