2009 Copenhagen Summit

2009 Copenhagen Summit was the fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC and the fifth session of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (COP15/CMP5) held in Copenhagen in December 2009. The summit brought together representatives from nearly every United Nations member state, leaders from European Union member states, envoys from United States and China, civil society organizations such as Greenpeace and World Wide Fund for Nature, and business delegations including BP and General Electric. The event aimed to negotiate a successor to the Kyoto Protocol and to forge a global agreement on greenhouse gas emissions, finance, and adaptation ahead of the 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference.

Background

Preparations for the summit involved complex diplomacy among major actors including the United States, China, India, Brazil, South Africa, the European Union, and small island states represented by the AOSIS. The summit followed scientific assessments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that underscored risks cited in the Fourth Assessment Report, prompting urgency among parties such as Australia and Japan to pursue mitigation commitments. Financial mechanisms featured discussions informed by institutions like the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and proposals from non-state coalitions including the Climate Group and C40 Cities. Legacy issues from the Kyoto Protocol negotiations—ratification status, commitment periods, and mechanisms like Clean Development Mechanism and Joint Implementation—shaped the mandate for Copenhagen.

Negotiations and Key Proposals

Negotiations were conducted within the formal UNFCCC process and through parallel bilateral and multilateral talks involving heads of state including Barack Obama, Hu Jintao, Gordon Brown, Angela Merkel, and Manmohan Singh. Key proposals ranged from legally binding treaties advocated by the European Commission and the Least Developed Countries to more flexible, pledge-and-review frameworks backed by the United States and China. Major initiatives included the Copenhagen Green Climate Fund concept, emissions targets from groups like the High Ambition Coalition, and financing pledges for adaptation from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Technical debates covered measurement, reporting and verification measures influenced by experts from NASA, NOAA, and the Global Carbon Project, as well as accounting rules for land use, land-use change and forestry debated by representatives from Brazil and Indonesia.

Outcomes and Copenhagen Accord

On 18 December 2009, leaders convened in a high-level plenary that produced the non-binding political text known as the Copenhagen Accord, drafted by a small group including United States President Barack Obama, Chinese Communist Party general secretary Hu Jintao, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and South African President Jacob Zuma. The Copenhagen Accord recognized the scientific view on increasing global temperatures and included pledges for emissions reductions, a goal to limit warming to below 2 °C, and a framework for mobilizing US$100 billion per year by 2020 for mitigation and adaptation to be administered through a proposed Green Climate Fund. The Accord also established a system for voluntary Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions and invited countries to submit mitigation pledges and finance commitments to the UNFCCC secretariat. Despite its adoption by consensus of the plenary, the Accord was not adopted as a formal decision by the COP and remained politically contentious.

Reactions and Criticism

Reaction to the Copenhagen outcomes varied widely. Supporters in the European Commission and delegations from Small Island Developing States welcomed the financial commitments, while negotiators from the African Group and the Least Developed Countries criticized the Accord for lacking legally binding obligations and inadequate financing assurances. Environmental NGOs such as 350.org and Friends of the Earth staged protests outside the Bella Center, decrying perceived influence from corporate actors including ExxonMobil and PepsiCo. Media coverage from outlets like the BBC, The New York Times, and Der Spiegel highlighted procedural controversies, including leaked diplomatic cables and reports of backroom bargaining led by the so-called "Danish Text" and the involvement of figures such as Tony Blair in ad hoc consultations. Academics from institutions including Harvard University, Oxford University, and the Stockholm Environment Institute published critiques on negotiation process, equity, and ambition.

Implementation and Legacy

Although the Copenhagen Accord lacked legal force, its mechanisms for pledges and finance influenced subsequent processes culminating in the Paris Agreement at COP21 in Paris, where the pledge-and-review architecture and the US$100 billion goal were further operationalized. The Accord prompted the formal establishment of institutions including the Green Climate Fund and accelerated bilateral initiatives such as the US–China Strategic and Economic Dialogue on clean energy. Analyses by the International Energy Agency and the World Resources Institute traced Copenhagen's impact on renewable energy investments, carbon markets, and national policy pledges in countries like Germany, China, India, and Brazil. Critics argue Copenhagen highlighted the limits of summit diplomacy and the need for inclusive multilateral rules—a debate that influenced reform efforts within the UNFCCC and shaped negotiation dynamics through COP21 and beyond.

Category:United Nations Climate Change Conferences Category:2009 in international relations