Christian Aid sounds alarm over leaked text at climate talks

|PIC1|Just days into the UN’s two-week climate summit in Copenhagen, a leaked document dubbed the Denmark Text is already jeopardising talks.

Developing countries have reacted angrily to the document they see as handing more power over carbon emission deals to rich nations and weakening the role of the UN in climate finance. If it were agreed, poor countries would have to limit per capita emissions at 1.44 tons, while wealthy nations would be allowed to set them at 2.67 tons per person.

The Danish government has come under fire for apparently discussing the draft with several wealthy nations behind the scenes and without discussion in the main summit sessions.

Christian Aid said it was “alarmed” and “profoundly disappointed” by the emergence of the text, which was leaked to The Guardian newspaper yesterday.

Nelson Muffah, the organisation’s Senior Climate Advocacy Co-ordinator, is in Copenhagen for the talks. He said the text was a “huge and dangerous step in the wrong direction”.

“It allows the rich world unfairly to shift its responsibility for tackling climate change on to the developing countries which are suffering the worst effects of the crisis and which have done least to cause it,” he said.

“The text, if adopted, would severely undermine poor countries’ right to development. It would also mean that years of international work on how to tackle climate change would have been wasted.”

Mr Muffah said the way in which the document emerged raised major concerns about the transparency and fairness of the talks.

He said: “The structure, content and intent of some of the provisions in this document signal the end of the multilateral consensus that climate change should be dealt with in a way that ensures developed countries take the lead in reducing their emissions in a legally robust, adequate and fair manner, while supporting/enabling developing countries to contribute to the global effort.

“This proposed text blurs the necessary distinction between developing and developed countries responsibilities and efforts.”

Some 40 faith leaders have gathered in Copenhagen to pray and reflect as government leaders negotiate a climate agreement.

The Rev Richard Cizik of the National Association of Evangelicals in the US told Operation Noah that climate change was "the spiritual and moral challenge of the 21st century".

He said: "We're not going to let our politicians off the hook."

The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams will preach at an ecumenical service in Copenhagen on Sunday, joined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Watch Operation Noah's report online at www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS3rZ55cK1c&feature=player_embedded#