chinadialogue has now obtained a copy of a proposal for a ‘Copenhagen Accord’ put together by China, India, Brazil and South Africa (BASIC) in response to the ‘Danish text’, which caused a huge media storm yesterday. On November the 27th China invited these countries to Beijing where they hammered out this idealised agreement. The existence of the agreement was announced on the 28th of November, a day after the Danish text was completed.
The ‘Copenhagen Accord’ presents a clear picture of what BASIC countries want. It would establish a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol under which the United States and all developing countries would be required to commit to emissions reductions between 2013 and 2020.
The explicit elimination of any form of green protectionism – specifically border taxes on carbon intensive goods.
The inclusion of ‘autonomous’ national mitigation actions by developing countries, which are not subject to international monitoring.
The establishment of a global climate fund which would cover mitigation, adaptation, technology transfer and capacity building.
The Climate Action Network described the text as a ‘defensive reaction’ to the Danish proposal. Malini Mehra of the Centre for Social Markets was critical of the proposal suggesting that ‘it is very weak on is finance, particularly for the least developed countries.’
At least two more idealised agreements are likely to surface in the next two days. Brazil has produced its own text and the Alliance of Small Island States is in the final stages of producing its own draft agreement. chinadialogue will endeavour to bring you analysis as soon as we get our hands on them.