Something rotten in state of Denmark
Posted on December 20, 2009 at 07:23 PM
Irish MEP Nessa Childers described the Copenhagen Accord reached in the Danish capital this weekend as "terribly disappointing and largely pointless. Something really was rotten in the state of Denmark this week," she said.
The Labour MEP who sits on the European Parliament's powerful Environment Committee and was in Copenhagen this week said, "Essentially the world's two biggest polluters, the US and China, have failed to show any leadership on the greatest threat facing humanity. For this they must be condemned by all who care about the future of our planet.
"The so-called accord reached in Copenhagen is couched in such loose language and marked with so many vague and open-ended commitments as to render it almost entirely meaningless. To coin a phrase, this deal is akin to Hamlet without the Prince.
"The talks have failed on all major issues. The accord contains no legally binding emission cut targets. Crucial framing of a global carbon market was largely ignored. No real compliance mechanisms have been specified, especially for emerging economies. While progress has been made on the principal of financial assistance this does not go far enough to command the support of the developing world. This deal is not fair, ambitious or binding.
"There is now considerable uncertainty about what the next steps can in fact achieve. We in the European Parliament will have to ask serious questions of our counterparts in the US Congress. It continues to be a break on global progress. Whereas we gave the EU negotiators a strong and ambitious mandate, they have again handicapped their President in global negotiations. Whatever we think of Chinese intransigence, we must expect and demand more from a great democracy like America.
"Europe too must give strong leadership in the push for a fair and sustainable deal in the months leading up to the Mexico talks. In this respect, the Irish government must put its money where its mouth is and accelerate Climate Change legislation.
"The Copenhagen experience also shows up once again the need to work toward a new and more effective global governance framework, in order to address global challenges such as climate change. The US and China effectively colluded in by-passing the UN system this week to hammer out a fudge behind closed doors. This can not become the norm of international relations in the 21st century. Something is also clearly rotten in the state of international relations."
