Naresh Newar 

Copenhagen, 19 December (Panos Radio South Asia) – When President Barrack Obama arrived unexpectedly at the conference venue, Bella Centre, on Friday much to the surprise of all the journalists--who had earlier speculated that he was not coming at all--there was some hope that there was going to be a good climate deal in the end. 

But as soon as he made his speech yesterday, it was clear that there was not going to be a deal the world wanted. And as speculated, quite accurately this time by the media after the UN document was leaked, the conference ended with a very weak outline of agreement – a call for countries to control greenhouse gas emissions but no commitment to reducing emissions.

As of now, the agreement drafted exclusively by US, China and India has been submitted to representatives of all 192 countries and it is not sure whether they will be adopted by all countries given that there is a lot of dissatisfaction and disappointment especially among the poor developing nations.

After all it is only a political agreement agreed and this has really angered many around the world.

“We are very disappointed. We didn’t come here all this way to not agree anything,” said environment minister Mohamed Aslam of Maldives.

Lumumba Di-Aping, chief negotiator for the G-77, the largest group for developing countries, strongly reacted that this agreement would condemn Africa to widespread deaths from global warming and compared to Nazis sending six million people into furnaces in the Holocaust.

The European nations are equally frustrated. 

“On one hand the real problem has been the United States, who are not able to deliver sufficiently. On the other, you have China and they delivered less. And they have been blocking again and again in this process followed by a group of oil states,” said environment minister Andreas Carlgreen of Sweden. He explained that the European Union wanted to reach out to the big group of developing countries but made impossible by big powers.

Almost the whole of Asia has remained very quiet. Developing countries like Bolivia, Venezuela and Sudan reacted that the deal was totally unacceptable. 

There has been no commitment sought for any of the major areas of dispute, like the mid term 2020 target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

The EU’s plan to pledge the increase of emission cut from 20 to 30 percent is now being blocked.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said that deal was below the EU’s goal. “I will not hide my disappointment,” he said.

The financial package to raise 100 billion dollars for adaptation in poor countries still remains in doubt as rich countries decline to guarantee money but simply affirming its support.

Meanwhile, negotiators continue to work on individual agreements like deforestation, technology, finance but these will take years without lack of strong political leadership at a global scale..