Some African leaders may stay away

Some African leaders may boycott the summit on Thursday and Friday: "It would be a pity if a conflict meant that we don't reach an agreement," says UN top climate official.
Marianne Bom - 14/12/2009 - African countries say that significant progress needs to be made in climate negotiations during the next few days in Copenhagen. If that does not happen, it is indicated that some leaders may stay away from the summit on Thursday and Friday, reports The Guardian.

"It is as serious a situation as it ever has been. It is more than probable many heads of state will not come if the negotiations are not complete. Why should a head of state come to sign an agreement that is basically a non-agreement," an African negotiator said to The Guardian – on condition of anonymity.

Janos Pasztor, director of the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Change Support Team, commented by saying:

"This is a consensus process…If they are really meaning that they are going to boycott, and if they are going to do that, it's serious. It would be a pity if a conflict meant that we don't reach an agreement."

On Monday morning, the Africa Group warned that the Kyoto Protocol may "be killed" if the negotiations at the UN climate conference continue in fewer tracks as suggested by the Presidency, according to the group.

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The Africa Group – representing 53 countries – said at a press briefing that it would not accept a new climate deal that was not based on the Kyoto Protocol.

New model for climate funding Norway and Mexico launch a joint model to provide predictable funding for climate actions in developing countries, starting in 2013.

Marianne Bom - 14/12/2009 - Norway and Mexico join forces and propose a model for climate funding at the negotiations in Copenhagen. The model establishes a Green Fund for financing of climate actions in developing countries.

Contributions to the Green Fund should come both from public budgets and from auctioning of emission allowances. According to the proposal, the scale of the Green Fund could start around 10 billion dollars per year by 2013 and increase to 30-40 billion dollars by 2020.

Mexico's President Felipe Calderón (photo above) and Norway's Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg "hope that through our joint proposal we can help develop a funding model everyone can endorse," they say in a common statement.

"To achieve an ambitious outcome in Copenhagen, it is crucial that we reach an agreement on financing climate actions in developing countries," they say.

Both countries find the resources so far raised for funding climate actions in developing countries inadequate. At an earlier stage in the negotiations both Norway and Mexico tabled proposals that could give increased predictable funding for climate actions in developing countries. The new model combines these proposals.

Norway's proposal is a model where a certain percentage of the total UN-allowances should be set aside for international auctioning to finance climate actions in developing countries. Mexico has proposed to establish a Green Fund that draws funding based on each country's emissions, GDP and population. The joint model uses both sources of income.

"In order to raise an adequate amount we will combine complementary sources of financing. This money should both finance adaption and mitigation efforts in developing countries. Financing should be based on results," Calderón and Stoltenberg say, according to a press release.

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