Copenhagen: Poor Nations Afraid To Commit, Pray They Make The Right Choice
 With negotiations having failed to reach a consensus in key areas such as emission cuts, long-term finance and when poor countries should start to reduce emissions, a standoff between rich and poor countries is threatening to derail climate talks.
It is reported that several African countries have indicated that unless significant progress is made over the next 3 days, their leaders would refuse to take part in the final summit.
Thursday will see the arrival of 110 heads of states for a 24 hour period of intense final negotiations. Delegates are looking to secure a deal that will ensure temperatures do not rise by more than 2C and that Hundreds of Billions of Pounds are pledged to poor countries to help fight climate change. Reports however indicate that some aren’t convinced that such a deal would be in their country's best interest and do not want to be pressured into signing.
Guardian.co.uk informs that one senior African negotiator on the condition of anonymity, had told them that industrialised countries want to hammer out a large part of the deal on the last day, when the heads of state arrive, "It's a ploy to slip through provisions that are not amenable to developing country efforts. It's playing dirty."
They report that one added: "It is as serious a situation as it ever has been. It is more than probable many heads of state will not come if the negotiations are not complete. Why should a head of state come to sign an agreement that is basically a non-agreement?"
While High level Chinese and Indian representatives are scheduled to arrive in Copenhagen they have strongly indicated that key points need to be agreed upon before touchdown. They appear to be making every effort to prevent a situation where western leaders jet in and railroad the main points on the last day of the conference.
Su Wei, China's top climate negotiator, said he hoped there would be no outstanding issues by the time his country's premier, Wen Jiabao, arrived. "I hope the only question we will leave for leaders is how to pronounce Copenhagen."
Indian delegates have indicated Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, would be appearing at the summit, but emphasised the urgency of having negotiators produce a text in advance.
Jairam Ramesh, India's environment minister, said: "We are saying that heads of state should not be negotiating a draft text. We must have a draft text already finalised. The heads of state should come to leave their imprint on the deal."
UK climate secretary Ed Miliband conceded that more urgency is needed "We're now getting close to midnight (13 December 2009) in this negotiation and we need to act like it. That means more urgency to solve problems, not just identify them."
The main area of contention is US and EU insistence that emerging economies such as Brazil, India and China agree to peak their emissions by 2020. Developing countries argue that it would lock them into poverty.
"This is a consensus process," said Janos Pastor, who heads Ban Ki-Moon's climate change team. "If they are really meaning that they are going to boycott, and if they are going to do that, it's serious. It would be a pity if a conflict meant that we don't reach an agreement."
Rob Bradley from the World Resource Institute, said: "Nobody wants to have their prime minister arrive and then inform them they did not strike a deal to talk about. I can certainly imagine that some of those thinking that a deal is going to look bad for them are going to try to persuade their prime ministers from coming."
Analysts are saying that in a situation where 192 countries are expected to sign off on any agreement, hard driving tactics are to be expected.
Inspired by Guardian.co.uk article “Poor Nations Threaten Climate Deal Showdown at Copenhagen Summit”
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