Copenhagen Accord not legally binding: Govt.

Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has said that the Copenhagen Accord was only a political document, which deals with elements of climate negotiations and not a legally binding one.

The Centre on Monday said the Copenhagen Accord does not have a legally binding character and is just an input to the multilateral negotiations under the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol.

“The Copenhagen Accord could not be adopted by parties (U.N. member nations) and was only noted by them. The interest of developing countries like India remains protected in the decision taken by the Conference of Parties at Copenhagen,” Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh told the Rajya Sabha.

Replying to a query, he added the accord was only a political document and deals with various elements of the climate negotiations including the Bali Action Plan.

“Following the discussions held at Copenhagen (in Denmark last year), India has voluntarily communicated its domestic mitigation actions to the UNFCCC,” the Minister said.

In reply to another query, he said that at Copenhagen, no agreement was reached on signing a new treaty for replacing Kyoto Protocol after 2012.

No agreement on goals for global emission cuts in short-term or long-term or on a base year for 2020 goals compared with 1990 or 2005 took place at the Copenhagen, Mr. Ramesh said.

“The parties have decided to reach an agreed outcome in two tracks namely Long Term Cooperative Action and Kyoto Protocol at the Sixteenth Conference of Parties scheduled in Mexico in December 2010,” he added.