The document summarizes the key components and next steps of the Copenhagen Accord on climate change. The Accord includes commitments from over 100 countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and billions of dollars pledged for climate financing. It establishes mechanisms for nationally appropriate mitigation actions by developing countries and adaptation programs in Africa. It also creates a High Level Panel and Copenhagen Green Climate Fund to mobilize $100 billion annually by 2020 for developing country needs. The Accord represents the first steps in ongoing UN negotiations to agree on a post-Kyoto climate framework.

1. The contents of the Copenhagen Accord
on climate change
Valentino Piana
Rome, 23nd March 2010

2. Contents
1. The climate debate
2. The Copenhagen Accord: the components and the positive elements
3. Adaptation to climate change - the African NAPAs
4. Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions
5. Finance
6. Next steps
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3. 1. The climate debate
Climate Sustainability
change
Development
World
Food financial
security architecture
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4. 2. The Copenhagen Accord: the components
The Accord is constituted by:
1. The list of countries that associate themselves with it 107 until now, of which
2. Twelve articles about 28 African countries
* A shared vision of the future Below +2o Degrees
Mostly * Adaptation
deve-
loped
* Annex I countries commitments about reduction of greenhouse gases emissions
coun- * Non-Annex I countries Nationally appropriate mitigation actions
tries
Mostly * Deforestation and forest degradation actions
(e.g.
developing
EU, * Incentives to low emitting economies
countries
USA, * New and additional, predictable and adequated funding with improved access
Japan,
…) * A High Level Panel to study the sources of funds
* The Copenhagen Green Climate Fund
* A country-driven Technology Mechanism
* The next steps, including the assessment of the implementation of the Accord
3. An appendix containing the commitments of Annex I countries
4. An appendix containing the mitigation actions by non-Annex I countries
5. A Registry of the mitigation actions seeking international support
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5. 2. The Copenhagen Accord: the positive elements
The Accord will test the effectiveness of an approach focused on immediate actions and
verification of commitments, through alternative moves from all countries (bottom-up
approach). It can fail and under-deliver but it is worth trying. In particular, CA is characterized by
the following elements:
1. All major GHG emitting countries involved, generating specific pledges from 73 countries that together
account for more than 80 per cent of global emissions from energy use
2. “Operational immediately”
3. 30 billion dollars committed by developed countries for the first three years
(of which 2.4 billion euros committed by EU countries yearly 2010-2012)
4. A steep rising pathway of funding up to 100 US billions in 2020, where the sources will be studied
by a High Level Panel (co-chairs and members already chosen)
5. Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions by non-Annex I countries both unilateral and conditional
on obtaining international support in terms of technology, funding and capacity-building (art. 5)
6. Technology Mechanism selected, linked to NAMAs (art. 11)
7. Annex I Kyoto Protocol parties “further strengthen” their commitments (art. 4)
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6. 3. Adaptation to climate change - the African NAPAs
Art. 3 of the Copenhagen Accord:
“Adaptation to the adverse effects of climate change and the potential
impacts of response measures is a challenge faced by all countries.
Enhanced action and international cooperation on adaptation is urgently
required to ensure the implementation of the [UNFCCC] Convention by
enabling and supporting the implementation of adaptation actions
aimed at reducing vulnerability and building resilience in developing
countries, especially in those that are particularly vulnerable, especially
least developed countries, small island developing States and Africa.
We agree that developed countries shall provide adequate, predictable and
sustainable financial resources, technology and capacity-building to
support the implementation of adaptation action in developing
countries.”
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7. 3. Adaptation to climate change - the African NAPAs
Well in advance to Copenhagen conference, most Least Developed
Countries prepared programs for adaptation, the so-called National
Adaptation Programmes of Actions.
Their cumulative cost is about 1 .7 billion US dollars.
32 African countries have so far presented NAPAs, for a total of about
1.350 billion US dollars (about the 80% of the total).
The Global Environmental Facility (GEF) required long procedures to access
the funds as well as large co-financing.
Until recently, GEF has disboursed only about 60 millions dollars.
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8. 4. Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs): an overview
NAMAs are schematic texts submitted to UNFCCC Secretariat by national
focal points, to be collected in Appendix II of CA and in a special
Registry (if looking for support).
The 32 countries that have presented official NAMAs before 7th March
2010 have interpreted “Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions” in a
wide range of ways:
* carbon-neutrality declaration;
* economy-wide commitments of reducing emissions in percentage
with respect to a baseline of Business-as-Usual trajectory;
* absolute reductions of CO2-eq emissions;
* sectoral preferential directions of development;
* specific goals and actions;
* localized projects with specified technical parametres.
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9. 4. Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs): an overview
The geographical distribution of NAMAs
14
12
10
Africa
8 Asia
6 Latin America
Europe
4 Oceania
2
0
N. countries
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10. 4. Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs): an overview
The sectoral distribution of NAMAs
25
Forestry
20
Transport
15 Renewable
energies
10 Agriculture
5 Waste
Building
0
N. countries
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11. 4. NAMAs in national planning
UNFCCC, MEF/G8/G20
Low-emission development strategy (art.2 CA)
Climate Action Plans
(BAP six pillars: Shared Vision, Mitigation, Adaptation,
Technology, Finance, Capacity building), e.g. National Adaptation Strategy
Local
NAMAs NAPAs Adaptation ….
Plans
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12. 4. The process of devising NAMAs and obtaining international support
In the country International interface Abroad
Analysis of existing and
forthcoming laws Existing funds
and policies
Copenhagen Green Climate Fund
Mitigation potential
Submission of NAMAs
and international
to UNFCCC Inter-governmental organizations
best practices
Private investors
Economic mechanisms Detail design
of activation of measures Technology / Solution providers
Research centres
Matching mechanism,
National stakeholders
dynamics and events NGOs
Localisation and
Local stakeholders
implementation
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13. 4. An evaluation of the existing NAMAs
Positive features Negative features
 Not clear the kind and features of the
 Wide variety international support looked for
 Usually reflecting the national  No economic mechanism of activation
circumstances, existing laws and  Not mobilizing the private investors
policies  No legal guarantees for investors
 Fairly aware of international best  No appeal to research centres and NGOs
practices  Unexplored connection with the
 Many sectors mentioned (e.g. Technology Mechanism
energy, transport, building,  Often lacking CO2 reduction
agriculture, forestry, tourism,…) quantification
 Concise documents  Always lacking estimated costs, thus
 Better than CDM as for broader also the cost per avoided ton of CO2eq
transformational potential  Transformational effects (e.g. green
jobs, competitiveness, tax revenue,...)
not expressed
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14. 5. Finance
How much
is raised
10 billions a year in
2010-2012
up to 100 billions in 2020
Who pays and What to fund
by which source
Balanced allocation
High level panel between adaptation and
will make a proposal mitigation
How and who manage (for the first 30 billions)
the funds
Existing institutions +
Copenhagen Green
Climate Fund
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15. 6. Next steps
UNECA G8/G20 in
High Level UNFCCC UNFCCC Toronto - launch UNFCCC G8/G20 in COP16
joint session in Korea in Cancún
panel on session session on session in of the
finance - 9th-11th May-June Copenhagen Sept/Oct ? (November) (Mexico)
with
first finance April (Bonn) Green Climate
meeting ministries (Bonn) Fund?
29th March in Malawi
Further NAMAs and NAPAs submissions,
updated communications, matching events
Raising the international support of
inter-governmental organizations, multilateral
and bilateral donors, research centres, NGOs, etc.
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