Surprise! Canada satisfied with weak climate deal
Posted on 19. Dec, 2009 by Rosa Kouri in Canada, bits
I have been struggling throughout the day to find out the status of the talks and discover some inkling of the ultimate end result. Fingers twitching, toes tapping, and nerves on edge, we trackers watched for any signals from the tightly closed group of world leaders parked less than 2 kilometers from our make-shift office. Given the high-level nature of the discussions, access to the Bella Centre today was severely restricted, with even the most elusive negotiators waiting in the hallways while their heads-in-chief met behind closed doors.
Ministerial addresses continued throughout the day. President Obama dissapointed many with a lacklustre address that lacked concrete details. In contrast, President Lula of Brazil gave a barn-burning speech that offered real commitments and indicated the willingness of Brazil to finance others. Mid-morning, US President Obama met with a tight circle of world leaders for more detailed discussion – Canada was not present on that list. Later, when the countries broke for lunch, Prime Minister Harper did have a quick chat with President Obama.
In the early afternoon, Bolivia’s Evo Morales and Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez demonstrated their resistance to the closed turn in the negotiations, arguing that “there are no first or second class people, or first or second class nations”. Tuvalu pointed out that they continue to be excluded from discussions and they have yet to be presented with a concrete draft text for discussion.
Across Copenhagen, Canada received a colossal ‘Fossil Of the Year’, our third year in a row, the satirical award granted to the country that does the most to obstruct the climate negotiations. The awards presentation was particularly lively, with colourful video footage featured on CBC news. Along the same vein in Canada, the Globe and Mail revealed that an MP in British Columbia is dismissing climate change science to concerned constituents.
In the afternoon, Obama delayed his flight home to meet with Brazil, India, China, and South African heads of state. Emerging from this meeting, he spoke to a press conference at around 10:30pm in the Bella Centre. Here he announced a deal with these four major emerging economies that has left many baffled – ostensibly this kind of brokerage would be key to establishing a foundation for a good agreement. Unfortunately, there are many troubling indications about the deal as presented. It is not legally binding, it does not include any concrete targets, and it does not set a timeline to reach a final agreement. Ultimately, it sidelines the multilateral process of the UN and excludes many of the nations that have the most at stake, including the least developed countries and small island states. These countries have yet to see a concrete text, a concern they have been raising all week as they remain outside the privileged circles of consultation.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has indicated his satisfaction with the deal as it sits. In many ways, Canada could not be more content. Their confident repetitions of low expectations have materialised almost perfectly. During a CBC interview today, it would seem Harper is trying take credit, for “what the Conservative government has been saying for four years is now the underpinning of this agreement”, namely that it must involve all economies (even at the risk of no substance, it seems). Furthermore, Harper stresses that Canada will continue to harmonize with the US – arguably a one-sided claim given that Canada was not present during any high-level consultations convened by Obama.
However, not all is decided. The entire UN assembly has yet to meet in the plenary, and it is possible that the G77 may block this agreement. The European Union has also yet to respond. Many countries have very legitimate concerns with the abandonment of the multi-lateral process and the hard work of many delegations over the past two days, and two years. It’s all still up in the air.
In the meantime, hopes are frustrated here in Copenhagen. The current proposals on the table do nothing to prevent the spectre of dangerous global warming, in fact they lock the world into a 3 degree rise, as revealed in a leaked negotiation text from the secretariat this morning.
More is expected and must be delivered.
Much love from Copenhagen,
Rosa
Argh, words cannot describe the churning feeling in my stomach.
But Rosa, thanks very much for your thorough-as-ever work.