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As the excitement of the Copenhagen climate change
talks subside, the time for matching reality with expectations has
begun. From the perspective of the World Council of Churches (WCC) the
outcome of the negotiations unfortunately did not match expectations.
© WCC/Peter Williams
“With
a lack of transparency, the agreement reached this past week by some
countries was negotiated without consensus but rather in secret among
the powerful nations of the world,” WCC Programme Executive on climate
change Guillermo Kerber said.
“This has proven to be a strong strike against multilateralism and the democratic principles in the UN system,” he said.
The
agreement, which is being called the Copenhagen Accord, was negotiated
between five countries, the U.S., China, India, South Africa and
Brazil. It maintains that the scientific thinking for keeping
temperature increase below 2 degrees Celcius is important, but failed
to make commitments to reduce emissions to keep the temperature rise in
check.
While the accord is being framed as an “essential
beginning” according to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, many
non-governmental groups are saying it does little to end the damage of climate change, particularly for the poorest.
© WCC/Peter Williams
Members
of the WCC delegation attending COP 15 were unanimous in criticizing
the agreement and recognized that once more, the poorest people will be
those most affected by this unfair deal, Kerber said.
It is
urgent that negotiations among all countries are resumed with the
objective to have clear reduction targets for industrialized countries
to decrease 40% CO2 emissions by 2020 and an annual fund of 150
billion US to be allocated for adaptation in the most vulnerable
developing countries, as Archbishop Desmond Tutu called for at the
handover of the Countdown to Copenhagen signatures calling for climate justice.
© WCC/Peter Williams
“Although
this is not the first time an agreement is not reached in a COP”
recalled Elias Abramides, the leader of WCC delegation, “this time it
was worse because of the lack of transparency and shadow negotiations
by some countries without involving all.”
“Copenhagen was a
missed opportunity by the industrialized countries to lead by example”
said Prof. Jesse Mugambi from Kenya and a member of the WCC Working
Group on climate change. “While countries like China and India came
with concrete measures they have voluntarily taken to reduce CO2
emissions, they are not committed to do so as they are not members of
the Annex 1 countries of the Kyoto Protocol. Most of the industrialized
countries didn’t show the needed commitment to lead the whole world in
an effective way to address the challenges of climate change.”
"The
struggle continues" Kerber, said. “We need to build on the incredible
mobilization by churches and the civil society over the next year, with
prayers, bell ringing, and advocacy action, to reach a fair, ambitious
anwas not achieved because of the unwillingness of most of
industrialized countries.”
“The
ecumenical delegation as well as the whole civil society betrayed
because of this outcome, but will continue to work for the needed
agreement among all nations,” he concluded.
Links:
WCC campaign on climate change
WCC activities in Copenhagen
Photo gallery
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At the UN 
(Read by Max McLean. Provided by The Listener's Audio Bible.)
