R. K. Pachauri, head of the United Nations panel on climate change, on Wednesday said international “consultation” and “analysis” of unsupported domestic mitigation action in the Copenhagen accord would not challenge India’s sovereignty.

His statement came a day after Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh’s claims that India’s interests have been protected in Copenhagen.

As climate scientists described the Copenhagen climate accord as a disappointment, Europe — which drafted the accord — blamed India, China and US for the ‘weak’ document.

Terming the summit a “disaster”, the European Union said the accord does not match the climate needs.

“It ( Copenhagen accord) is a disappointment,” said Swedish Environment Minister Andreas Carlgen in Brussels after a meeting of European environment ministers. Sweden heads the European Union.

Nobody is ever responsible for anything, it seems, after Copenhagen. The rich countries, primary contributors to this mess, have got away scott free. It’s as if we don’t live on the same planet anymore. The most disturbing aspect of this is the historic reflection it casts once more.

From the fifteenth century onwards, colonizers have sailed to other countries and used technological and other advantages to plunder them. The amassed riches helped the colonizers develop.

The landscape after Copenhagen is not that different-we haven’t even caused the problem.

The deadlock at Copenhagen climate summit was broken on Friday night when US President Barack Obama told a select group of world leaders that the agreement would be “political in nature” and “legally non-binding”.

India was first to react.

It called backed Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to return back to Bella Center from on his way to airport.

At 9.30 p. m. here (1 a. m. India time), half an hour after Obama’s statement, Singh met leaders from China, Brazil and South Africa (Basic countries) to discuss the nature of the Copenhagen accord.

About 16 hours after US President Barack Obama brokered a “non-binding political” accord at Copenhagen, agreed to by India and China, the climate conference decided to take note of the accord but refused to adopt it fully.

Many poor nations refused to sign the accord as they believed it would eventually kill the Kyoto Protocol, which had obligatory emission reduction commitments for rich countries. The Copenhagen accord would be a voluntary agreement for countries to adopt, not a United Nations (UN) document like the Kyoto Protocol.

Copenhagen, Dec. 19 : United States reached a non-legal binding climate deal with the group of Brazil, South Africa, India, and China (BASIC) here on Saturday.

The accord includes a recognition to limit temperature rises to less than 2C and promises to deliver 30bn dollars of aid for developing nations over the next three years. It outlines a goal of providing 100bn dollars a year by 2020 to help poor countries cope with the impacts of climate change, a B. B. C. report stated.

Copenhagen, Dec. 19 : United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has hailed a United States-supported climate deal here and described it as an "essential beginning".

Moon, however, said the accord, reached with key nations including China and Brazil, must be made legally binding next year.

It could be possible after intense wrangling, when delegates passed a motion simply taking note of the deal, without formally adopting it.

Copenhagen, Dec. 19 : Just as a climate deal was reached between the United States and BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India, and China) group, it is being described as a "meaningful agreement" at the Copenhagen climate summit.

According to US President Barack Obama, the deal would be a foundation for global action but there was "much further to go".

Copenhagen (Denmark), Dec. 18-19 : With world leaders at the Copenhagen climate conference reportedly agreeing to a last-minute deal to combat global warming, but conceding that the watered-down accord has not gone far enough, developing countries like India, China, Brazil and South Africa, and the Group of 77 countries appear to have been vindicated.

The two-week summit limped to a conclusion late on Friday night with warnings that not enough is being done to prevent potentially dangerous rises in global temperatures.

openhagen, Dec 19 : Surprising delegates and observers, the climate summit passed the Copenhagen accord within 30 seconds of reconvening its final plenary session Saturday.

The only concession given to countries that had objected to the accord was that names of countries that had agreed with the accord would be listed. (IANS)  

Copenhagen, Dec. 19 : The Copenhagen climate summit, which witnessed dramatic turn of events at the 11th hour in a bid by countries to reach some form of consensus on Friday, still seems to be far away from wooing all participating 193 nations to form consensus here over climate change.

Delegates at the climate summit are still battling to prevent the talks ending without reaching a final deal.

Copenhagen, Dec. 19 : Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh has said that no final deal on climate change has been reached by all 193 members here.

"The deal has not been done, but the draft has been negotiated. It will now go to plenary. Only then it could be approved by others," said Ramesh.

"The U. S. President had an hour long meet with BASIC group. It was a productive meet. We had heart-to-heart chat and looked into each other's draft and proposals," he added further.

Copenhagen (Denmark), Dec. 19 : Talks between the Prime Ministers of India and China - Dr. Manmohan Singh and Wen Jiabao - on Friday at the Radisson Blu Hotel here focused on the joint stand taken by the two countries on climate change-linked issues and how to take strategic bilateral relations forward to realize the goal of making the 21st century the Asian century.

Copenhagen, Dec 19 - The UN climate ummit was forced to adjourn without consensus Saturday, as four countries help up the adoption of the Copenhagen accord proposed by five countries including India.

Despite support from most countries around the world, there was no consensus on adopting the accord, due to objections from Venezuela, Bolivia, Sudan and Tuvalu.

Denmark's Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen was forced to adjourn the final plenary session for the third time.

Copenhagen, Dec 19 - The Copenhagen climate summit was stuck on its scheduled final night as a host of countries attacked the accord that India had prepared with four other nations.

In the early hours of Saturday, Tuvalu, Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba and Nicaragua led the attack on the accord, calling it undemocratic because it had been prepared by India in consultation with the US, China, Brazil and South Africa.

Copenhagen, Dec 19 - India and other emerging economies prepared a Copenhagen accord late Friday night in association with the US, to be presented to an overnight plenary session of the UN climate summit. The accord came under attack from the Group of 77 almost at once, though it was unclear if it would carry its opposition into the plenary session.

Copenhagen, Dec 19 - After extending his stay to prepare a Copenhagen accord in consort with the US, China, Brazil and South Africa, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh left for home in the early hours of Saturday.

An Indian official said the prime minister had stayed back till the accord was drafted, and had briefed the rest of the Indian delegation in detail before leaving Copenhagen. (IANS)

Copenhagen/Washington, Dec 19 - Global players are "close to a deal" on slowing climate change, sources in Copenhagen said.

Sources familiar with the negotiations said the US, China, India, the European Union (EU) and other major polluters were still negotiating on how much "fast-start" money rich countries should give to help poorer nations deal with global warming.

Those negotiations followed reports out of Washington saying US President Barack Obama had reached an agreement with China.

Copenhagen, Dec 19 - Leaders of major economies finalised a Copenhagen accord to tackle climate change late Friday night.

The accord, which is not legally binding, was to be submitted to representatives of all 192 countries gathered here for the UN climate summit after the draft was finalised by major countries including India, the US and China and the European Union. (ISND)

Copenhagen, Dec 19 - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh extended his stay here another night Friday as consensus on a Copenhagen accord continued to elude representatives of 192 countries gathered here for the climate summit.

An Indian official told IANS that the prime minister had taken part in the talks between heads of state over dinner in an effort to stitch together a Copenhagen accord that would indicate the resolve of world leaders to fight climate change.