Climate deal did not achieve goals: Ban

UNITED NATIONS - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has praised the US-backed deal at the Copenhagen climate summit as an essential beginning, but admitted it did not achieve all that many nations, especially the developing countries, had sought.
It may not be everything we hoped for, but this decision of the Conference of Parties is an essential beginning, the UN chief said in a statement on Sunday. Many will say that it lacks ambition, he said, Ban said, while emphasizing that the accord, reached with key nations including China and Brazil, must be made legally binding next year.
In Copenhagen, Lumumba Di-Aping, the Sudanese ambassador who chairs the Group of 77 (developing countries), which now 120 members, called the deal extremely flawed.
A gross violation has been committed today against the poor, against the tradition of transparency and participation of equal footing for all parties of the convention and against common sense, he said.
, complaining that US President Barack Obama negotiated the pact in one-on-one meetings and a forum of 25 nations.
The accord includes a recognition to limit temperature rises to less than 2C and promises to deliver 30bn dollars of aid for developing nations over the next three years. It outlines a goal of providing 100bn dollars a year by 2020 to help poor countries cope with the impacts of climate change.
The agreement includes a method for verifying industrialized nations reduction of emissions. The US had insisted that China dropped its resistance to this measure, according to a B.B.C report.
Delegates representing 194 countries attending the Copenhagen conference agreed overnight to work towards implementing an accord forged after two weeks of marathon negotiations in Copenhagen, the Danish capital.
Finally we sealed the deal. And it is a real deal. Bringing world leaders to the table paid off... We have the foundation for the first truly global agreement that will limit and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, support adaptation for the most vulnerable and launch a new era of green growth, Mr. Ban said in a statement.
The Copenhagen Accord may not be everything that everyone hoped for, but this decision of the Conference of Parties is a beginning, an essential beginning.
He said results have been made on all four of the benchmarks for success that he laid out during the special leaders summit on climate change held in New York in September.
All countries have agreed to work towards a common long-term goal to limit the global temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius; many governments have made important commitments to reduce or limit emissions; countries have achieved significant progress on preserving forests; and countries have agreed to provide comprehensive support to the most vulnerable to cope with climate change.
The Secretary-General said these commitments have been backed up by $30 billion of pledges for short-term adaptation and mitigation measures for poorer countries, and further commitments to raise $100 billion by 2020 to achieve those goals.
The deal also provides a mechanism for drawing the many nationally announced climate goals into an international deal. Through an annex, developed countries would choose to list their greenhouse gas reduction targets and financing offers, and developing countries would register mitigation and adaptation projects that could be monitored or reviewed.
But he cautioned that serious work lies ahead in turning the Copenhagen Accord into a legally binding treaty, and said he would work closely with world leaders to make that happen.
The so-called Copenhagen Green Climate Fund, aimed at helping poor countries adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change, must be launched as soon as possible so it can start providing assistance to those in need and kick-start clean energy projects.
Ban acknowledged that the current mitigation commitments offered by countries fail to meet the scientific bottom line. The Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has found that to stave off the worst effects of global warming, industrialized countries must slash emissions by 25 to 40 per cent from 1990 levels by 2020, and global emissions must be halved by 2050.
We still face serious consequences. So while I am satisfied we have a deal here in Copenhagen, I am aware that it is just the beginning. It will take more than this to definitively tackle climate change, but it is a step in the right direction.