Resources for Journalists: Understanding the Copenhagen Accord

The two-week climate conference in Copenhagen this past December produced the Copenhagen Accord. The Accord is a two-and-a-half page document that emerged in the final days of the summit, containing an inadequate goal of keeping global temperature increases below 2?C and no mechanism for achieving this goal. As of February 4, 2010, 56 countries had submitted individual pledges for greenhouse gas reductions to the secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). But in the aggregate, these pledges are not enough to hold off catastrophic climate changes.

Friends of the Earth, the largest non-governmental delegation present at the Copenhagen convention, has assembled the following resources to share key perspectives on the implications of the Copenhagen Accord. Our interpretation of what transpired in Copenhagen is shaped by our belief that a just, effective agreement will be based on scientific integrity and fairness. It should reflect wealthier nations’ historical responsibility for causing global warming and therefore, their responsibility to lead the way in solving the problem. The Copenhagen Accord simply doesn’t measure up.

You can download the entire packet by clicking here, or you can download individual resources by clicking on their titles below: 

• A one-page document explaining the failure of the 2009 climate summit in Copenhagen.
• A detailed Friends of the Earth analysis of the conference focusing on U.S. involvement. Spanish version.
• A compilation of excerpted quotes from NGOs about their reactions to the Copenhagen Accord.
• An article by Martin Khor, executive director of the South Centre, entitled, “After Copenhagen, the Way Forward.”
• The Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance statement of the African Civil Society during the 14^th ordinary summit of the African Union, 25 January – 3 February 2010.
• A Climate Action Network South Asia press release calling for rejection of the Copenhagen Accord.
• Contact information for our experts who would be happy to discuss the outcome of the Copenhagen climate conference with you.

Click here for more information about the Friends of the Earth team’s work in Copenhagen.