US PRESIDENT Barack Obama acknowledged yesterday that time had run out to secure a legally binding climate deal at the Copenhagen summit in December and threw his support behind plans to delay a formal pact until next year at the earliest.
During a hastily convened meeting in Singapore, the US president supported a Danish plan to salvage something from next month’s meeting by aiming to make it a first-stage series of commitments rather than an all-encompassing protocol.
Postponing many contentious decisions on emissions targets, financing and technology transfer until the second stage, leaders will instead try to reach a political agreement in Copenhagen that sends a strong message of intent.
While this falls short of hopes that the meeting would lock in place a global action plan to replace the Kyoto protocol, it recognises the lack of progress in recent preparatory talks and the hold-ups of climate legislation in the US Senate.
Michael Froman, US deputy national security adviser for economic affairs, said: “There was a realistic assessment . . . by the leaders that it was unrealistic to expect a full internationally legally binding agreement to be negotiated between now and when Copenhagen starts in 22 days.”
There will now be intense discussions on whether the political agreement at Copenhagen contains any detailed meaningful commitments.
Denmark’s prime minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, the host and chairman of the climate talks, flew overnight to Singapore to pitch the deferral plan to 19 leaders, including Mr Obama and China’s president, Hu Jintao, at an unscheduled event during the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit. He insisted that the Copenhagen talks could still set political targets and outline commitments.
“Given the time factor and the situation of individual countries we must, in the coming weeks, focus on what is possible and not let ourselves be distracted by what is not,” Mr Rasmussen told the leaders. “The Copenhagen agreement should finally mandate continued legal negotiations and set a deadline for their conclusion.”
Mr Obama spoke in support of the proposal, cautioning the group not to let the “perfect be the enemy of the good”, Mr Froman said.
The proposal by Denmark would buy time for the US Senate to pass carbon-capping legislation, allowing the Obama administration to bring a 2020 target and financing pledges to the table at a UN climate meeting in mid-2010.