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Carbon cut pledge, legal string missing

PlNAKI ROY from Copenhagen
The Copenhagen Accord has been noted by the UNFCCC as without any major pledges about carbon emission reduction by the developed and top polluter countries, apparently suggesting not much action in near future to reduce global warming.
Though Bangladesh and the Maldives are part of the Accord, Thvalu, another small island vulnerable to sea level rise, says it cannot accept it.
Since the Bali Action Plan was adopted, Bangladesh and other LDCs were demanding a legally binding
document which will endorse that global temperature must not exceed 1.5 degrees than that of pre-industrial era by the end of this century with maximum 350 ppm carbon in the air.
The demands of the least developed countries (LDCs) also include a global fund of $200 billion and preferential shares of it for the most vulnerable countries.
But the Copenhagen Accord does not have any legal status and the parties also did not agree to make it a legally binding document. Besides, whatever is pledged in the accord, any country might violate that.
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"So this accord will not be a legally binding document and it has not set any target of immediate emission curbing. But we cannot say we have not achieved anything. A fund is going to be created," said Dr Saleemul Haq, one of the key climate change experts.
The developed countries have initially pledged $30 billion for next three years till 2012 and later they would increase it up to $100 billion in 2020.
However, the UNFCC measured as much as a fund of $200 billion might be needed to battle the effects of the climate change from 2020.
Experts say if the developed countries don't act properly, it may leave Bangladesh and other small islanders in a risk of being submerged partially and displacement of millions of people and loss of livelihood.
It also imposes a threat of losing 20 to 30 percent of the worldbiodiversity.
Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (1PCC) Chairman RK Pachauri in his opening remarks of the conference said if the temperature increase is to be limited within 2 to 2.4 degrees, the global emission must not peak no later than 2015.
But the Copenhagen Accord has not mentioned any peaking year. It does not also specifically say about emission curbing target of the developed countries," said Dr Saleemul Haq, one of the leading climate change experts.
"So we can say Bangladesh did not get what we were expecting." Dr Haq added.
Terming the Accord a major breakthrough, Dr Ainun Nisaht, one of the key negotiators from Bangladesh, said, "The most vulnerable countries will get a preferential share of the fund."
"At one stage, it seemed nothing was going to happen here. But the summit overcame that stage and made an accord. It is a good start,” he observed.
Details of the accord have not yet been fixed as to who will contribute to the fund, who will get the shares and how much, and on what basis everything will be worked out before the COP 16 scheduled to take place in Mexico in 2010.
As all the blocs — developed countries, big polluters like China and India and LDCs -- were struggling to reach an agreement, a group named "Friends of Chair" came forward with a text to discuss.
Initially, eight countries were in the group led by Barack Obama. Later other countries were invited and the number reached to 27 including Bangladesh.
While negotiating, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh demanded preferential share in the climate fund for the most vulnerable countries like Bangladesh.
She also said carbon emission in Bangladesh is very negligible but Bangladesh and other LDCs are ready to go for clean energy if the developed countries provide technologies and funds.
"It was Bangladesh who put the demand on behalf of the LDCs," said Dr Hasan Mahmud, state minister for environment and forest of the country.
The draft accord caused a storm at the plenary session as Tuvalu, Venezuela, Bolivia and Peru opposed it.
The representative of Tuvalu said they couldn't accept the deal as it is amounted to "30 pieces of silver to sell our country".
However, the Maldives, a low-lying island and also a
least developed country, firmly backed the accord. President Mohammad Nasheed urged the conference to accept the agreement.
Representatives of Bangladesh did not talk during the discussion at the plenary session.
Following opposition of several countries the COP president could not take it as the UNFCCC accord but noted it as an accord of the Friends of Chair.
"But anybody who wants to join the accord may join it," said one of the negotiators.
Besides, the terms of two working groups — Working Group on Kyoto Protocol and Working Group on Long-term Coordinated Action (LCA) -have been extended for one year.
"Now the text of LCA what the negotiators have been discussing for least two years to reach an agreement will be finalised under the light of the Copenhagen Accord," said one of the negotiators from Bangladesh.
Talking to a number of delegates, it was learned Bangladesh has not achieved what it should have achieved and what the country was expecting and demanding as a part of the LDCs.
The only good thing for Bangladesh in this accord is it says that about a climate change fund of $30 billion for next three years and $100 billion after 2020 to battle the climate change.
Moreover, the name of Bangladesh was pronounced several times in the Copenhagen summit as one of the most vulnerable countries what many members of the Bangladesh delegation think a big achievement.
Many of the delegates were seen counting how many times the speakers named Bangladesh as one of the most vulnerable countries.