UNFCC official optimistic about Copenhagen climate accord - - India News Times

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) Executive Secretary, Yvo de Boer appeared confident about the future of the Copenhagen climate accord, as he talked about current developments following the UN Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in December. The 'Copenhagen Accord' was brokered by the United States and signed by the BASIC group--China, India, Brazil and South Africa-- during the waning hours of the Summit. Addressing media in New Delhi today, de Boer said, "We published on our website the pledges of 56 countries representing 78 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Pledges to reduce or limit the growth of their emissions and those are pledges from both industrialised and developing nations." The accord sets a goal of limiting global warming to less than a 2 degree Celsius rise from levels in pre-industrial times. The pact also set a deadline of January 31, 2010, for richer nations to specify 2020 emission targets and poorer countries to state actions being taken to curb greenhouse gases. But the lax support from major emerging nations led by China and India has left doubts over the pact they agreed with the United States. China, India and Brazil met the Sunday deadline but did not say if they endorsed the Accord. Boer suggested that some countries might be struggling with the position they should take on the issue. "On the one hand, they (countries) see it as an expression of strong political opinion that we need to move forward and act of climate change. At the same time, countries respect the integrity of the formal negotiating process and want decisions to be taken in a formal setting," said de Boer. The UN has not yet published which countries want to be 'associated' with the Accord. The names of the countries deeply involved will be listed at the top of the three-page accord.