Declaration distinguishes emission obligations between developed and developing nations

Framework Convention on Climate Change. The leaders agreed to work together to reach an agreed outcome at the December 2009 conference and to take immediate actions to strengthen implementation of the Convention between now and 2012.

Who it concerns: The agreement involves the leaders of Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It concerns sectors including energy, trade (WTO issues), technology, forestry, and finance, and specifically addresses the needs of developing countries and the private sector.

What was agreed

• Commitment to reach an agreed outcome on climate change by December 2009.
• Commitment to take actions to strengthen implementation of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change between now and 2012.
• Developed major economies will implement economy-wide mid-term goals to achieve absolute emission reductions.
• Developing major economies will pursue nationally appropriate mitigation actions supported by technology, financing, and capacity-building.
• Directing trade officials to advance WTO discussions relevant to climate change cooperation with urgency.
• Commitment to improve energy efficiency and promote the deployment of existing technologies, including renewables and nuclear power.
• Commitment to mobilize financial resources to support developing countries and finance cleaner technologies.

Also in the document

• The declaration explicitly distinguishes obligations between developed and developing major economies, with developed nations committing to absolute emission reductions and developing nations to deviation from business-as-usual emissions.
• It mandates the acceleration of technology transfer and capacity building for developing countries.
• It calls for the mobilization of financial resources, specifically highlighting the urgent need to scale up financial flows to developing countries.