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| Copenhagen Climate Summit | |
|---|---|
| Name | Copenhagen Climate Summit |
| Other names | 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP15 |
| Date | December 7–18, 2009 |
| Location | Bella Center, Copenhagen |
| Participants | Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change |
| Chair | Connie Hedegaard |
| Outcome | Copenhagen Accord (political accord) |
Copenhagen Climate Summit
The Copenhagen Climate Summit was the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held at the Bella Center in Copenhagen in December 2009. Convened as COP15, the summit sought a successor to the Kyoto Protocol with broad participation by states such as United States, China, India, Brazil, and South Africa, as well as intergovernmental organizations including the United Nations, the European Union, the World Bank, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Hosts and negotiators ranged from the Danish Presidency led by Connie Hedegaard to heads of state like Barack Obama, Hu Jintao, Gordon Brown, and Angela Merkel, amid civil society groups such as Greenpeace, World Wide Fund for Nature, 350.org, and Friends of the Earth.
The summit followed a sequence of international efforts including the United Nations Climate Change Conferences series, earlier outcomes like the Kyoto Protocol and preparatory meetings such as the Bonn Climate Change Conference and the Bangkok climate change talks. Scientific framing derived from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and reports including the Fourth Assessment Report and preparatory syntheses by the Secretariat of the UNFCCC. Major economies including the Group of Eight and emerging coalitions such as the G77 plus China negotiated amid shifting alignments like the Umbrella Group and the Alliance of Small Island States. Domestic politics in countries such as United States (influenced by Senate debates and actors like Nancy Pelosi), Australia (after the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme discussions), and Japan (post-Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama) shaped national positions.
Formal negotiation tracks included parties from Annex I and non-Annex I states under the UNFCCC process, mediated by chairs such as Connie Hedegaard and negotiators like Sven Alkalaj and Yvo de Boer. Key proposals featured differentiated commitments from proposals such as the Cap-and-trade frameworks advocated by the European Union and market mechanisms promoted under the Clean Development Mechanism. Major submissions came from groupings like the Brazil, South Africa, India and China (BASIC) and bilateral initiatives such as talks between United States and China culminating in a joint statement by Barack Obama and Hu Jintao. Financial pledges and mechanisms debated involved entities such as the Green Climate Fund, the Global Environment Facility, the World Bank, and multilateral development banks like the Asian Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.
Heads of state and government included Barack Obama (United States), Hu Jintao (People's Republic of China), Manmohan Singh (India), Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (Argentina), Dilma Rousseff (Brazil), Stephen Harper (Canada), Gordon Brown (United Kingdom), Angela Merkel (Germany), Nicolas Sarkozy (France), and leaders from small states such as representatives of the Alliance of Small Island States and the Least Developed Countries group. Institutional actors included the United Nations, European Commission, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and NGOs such as Greenpeace International, World Wide Fund for Nature, 350.org, Friends of the Earth International, Sierra Club, Climate Action Network, and the International Institute for Environment and Development. Coalitions like the BASIC group, the G77, the Africa Group, and the Umbrella Group shaped negotiating blocs.
The summit culminated in the non-binding Copenhagen Accord, which was drafted by a small group including United States, China, India, Brazil, and South Africa and presented to the plenary. The Copenhagen Accord recognized the goal of limiting temperature rise to below 2 °C and called for voluntary national commitments, finance pledges for mitigation and adaptation including fast-start finance promises from developed countries and a mention of long-term finance targets. The outcome influenced later processes including the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action and negotiations leading to the Paris Agreement at COP21 (2015). Operational details touched on measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) frameworks, proposed capital architecture like the Green Climate Fund, and references to technology transfer under mechanisms akin to the Technology Mechanism.
Criticism focused on the closed-door drafting of the Copenhagen Accord by leaders including Barack Obama and Manmohan Singh and bypassing the UNFCCC plenary, provoking objections from delegations such as the Venezuela delegation led by Hugo Chávez proxies and representatives of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America. Civil society groups including Greenpeace International, Friends of the Earth, 350.org, and Amnesty International criticized the process and substance, while academics from institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research debated the scientific adequacy relative to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change targets. Leaks and reporting by media organizations such as The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC, and Reuters amplified disputes over sovereignty, transparency, and the adequacy of finance pledges from entities like the World Bank and donor states including United States, Japan, and European Union members.
Despite immediate disappointment among many delegations and NGOs, the summit galvanized subsequent diplomatic work, influencing forums such as the Durban UN Climate Change Conference (COP17), the Cancún Agreements at COP16 (2010), and the eventual Paris Agreement at COP21 (2015). The Copenhagen Accord introduced concepts of nationally determined commitments that evolved into Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement. Financial pledges and institutional proposals advanced creation of the Green Climate Fund, enhanced roles for the World Bank, and new engagement by coalitions like the BASIC countries. Academic assessments from Nature (journal), Science (journal), and policy institutes including the Brookings Institution and Chatham House evaluated the summit’s diplomatic, scientific, and economic implications.
Coverage spanned international outlets such as BBC, CNN, The New York Times, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, and Xinhua and included commentary from think tanks like the Pew Research Center and the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Public mobilization included demonstrations organized by 350.org, Greenpeace International, Friends of the Earth International, labor groups and student movements, with protests and actions in Copenhagen and global solidarity events in cities like London, New York City, Delhi, Beijing, and Rio de Janeiro. Independent film and documentary makers, book authors, and broadcasters produced analyses, while celebrity advocates such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Gisele Bündchen participated in awareness campaigns.
Category:United Nations Climate Change Conferences