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Draft debate

December 11, 2009

A new draft agreement circulating in Copenhagen hints at progress being made at the climate change conference as more top level diplomats head to Denmark to attend late-stage negotiations.

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Norbert Roettgen gives a speech in 2009
Norbert Roettgen thinks Copenhagen is the last chance to fight climate changeImage: picture-alliance/ dpa

German Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen said he sees Copenhagen as the world's last chance succeed in the fight against climate change.

"A window is opening there," Roettgen said as he departed for Denmark on Friday, adding, "The dice must fall now."

He acknowledged that he was optimistic for the potential of the climate change conference.

"There are positive signs, there is momentum in the negotiations," he said.

He pointed out that a number of countries like the US or China had altered their positions just before or during the conference.

Reaching consensus

Indeed some form of consensus seemed more attainable on Friday as a new draft of a closing agreement for the conference was unveiled.

The draft agreement is looking toward a reduction in greenhouse gases for industrialized nations of 25 percent and 40 percent compared to 1990 levels by 2020 and by 75 percent to 95 percent by 2050.

For developing countries, targeted are emissions reductions of 15 percent to 30 percent by 2020 compared to the emissions that would have occurred by that year had climate change measures not been taken.

The text also named a long-range target of a 50-percent to 95-percent reduction of greenhouse gases by all countries by 2050.

Sources, citing a UN working group document, said there were talks on holding a global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius at the highest.

Environmentalist approval

Up till now the EU, the United States as well China and India have accepted the warming of average temperatures to 2 degrees Celsius.

Several island nations at the conference protested the 2-degree figure, as warming in that range would trigger a rise of sea levels that would inundate them.

Christoph Bals of non-governmental environmental organization Germanwatch said it nations needed to reach a compromise at Copenhagen that could be built upon in 2010.

"It is important that we have a text that lays the foundations for further negotiations," he said.

He added there were many numbers still up in the air, and that there was also no year set for when worldwide greenhouse gases would reach a maximum.

sjt/dpa/Reuters

Editor: Sean Sinico

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