Final Post From the UN Climate Change Conference: Dr. Anita Halvorssen Assesses What Was and Was Not Accomplished

All week Dr. Anita Halvorssen has been reporting from the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Here is today's final report:

At the final, tumultuous Plenary meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC at their 15th session (COP15), the Parties agreed to "take note" of the Climate Accord, the deal brokered by President Obama together with leaders from India, Brazil, South Africa, and China last night. Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua and Sudan objected to the "note." The accord still needs to be formally approved by the Parties.

Highlights from the Climate Accord include the limit of a two degree Celcius increase in global temperature rise, the 30 billion dollars for developing countries for adaptation between 2010 and 2012, 100 billion dollars starting 2020 to be mobilized for developing countries to be used for mitigation and adaptation, and the establishment of the Reduction of Deforestation and Forest Degredation (REDD plus) mechanism and a technology mechanism.

Many participants at COP-15 were not thrilled with the new Climate Accord, since it is not a binding agreement and there are no binding emission reduction cuts for developed countries or mitigation action for developing countries. The small island states in the Pacific are not happy with the two degree limit on the temperature rise because they may well become submerged as a result, but compared to walking out empty-handed, I think COP-15 has taken us one step closer to the goal of the UNFCCC which is to stabilize the greenhouse gases (GHGs) to a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic (human caused) interference with the climate system.

It is just two years ago since the IPCC in its fourth assessment report (AR4) determined the 2 degree limit was where we needed to be, now the international community has accepted the limit - that has to be progress. The fact that 119 world leaders came to Copenhagen shows that the international community understands the seriousness of climate change. I think we are headed in the right direction, slowly, but surely.

The next meetings will take place in Bonn in June of 2010, and COP-16 will be in Mexico the second week of November in 2010.

Dr. Halvorssen, who teaches at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, has attended the proceedings for the Prof. Ved Nanda Center for the Study of International Law. Her participation was accredited by the American Society of International Law.

Danish family member and Dr. Anita Halvorssen walking on Strøget - the world´s oldest pedestrian street.









Rosenborg - 1630s.