Delegates in Copenhagen Agree to "Take Note" of the Copenhagen Accord

Delegates in Copenhagen have agreed to "take note" of the Copenhagen Accord, despite criticism that there are no long-term targets to cut emissions and it is not a legally-binding treaty. UN chief Ban Ki-moon called it "an essential start".

The Copenhagen Accord was bogged down for hours by protests from delegates who said the deal didn't go far enough in cutting the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming.

After a break, the conference president gaveled a decision to "take note" of the agreement instead of formally approving it.

"The draft decision reads as follows: The conference of the parties decides to take note of the Copenhagen Accord of the 18th of December 2009. Attached to this decision will be the accord itself, and the title to the accord."

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon confirmed that a deal had finally been done, with yet admitting the non-binding agreement at the conclusion of the conference was not "everything everyone had hoped for".

"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. All countries have agreed to work towards a common, long-term goal to limit 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."

U.S. President Barack Obama hailed the document as a "meaningful and unprecedented breakthrough". And Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, who said himself has worked out on the document from the bottom to the top, downplayed the opposition, saying "obstacle" had been overcome.

However, some poor countries and island nations have rejected the accord, saying it is unacceptable since the document is non-binding and sets no targets for reducing carbon emissions.
Lumumba Di-Aping of Sudan is head of the G77, the 135-nation bloc of developing countries.

"The architecture of this deal is extraordinarily flawed. What has happened today confirms what we have been suspicious of, that a deal will be superimposed by the United States with the help of the Danish government on all nations of the world."

To resolve the stalemate early Saturday, U.N. officials changed the way the text was presented to the plenary. The conference recognized the agreement and those who agreed with it were invited to sign it.

Wang Ling CRI news.