What happened during the climate change negotiations in Copenhagen 2009?

The document analyzes the COP 15 summit, detailing the emission commitments of major economies like the US, China, and the EU, and evaluating the resulting non-binding agreement. It highlights the establishment of the Copenhagen Green Climate Fund and the political consensus on a 2°C temperature limit, while criticizing the lack of specific mitigation targets and the opaque negotiation process.

• The summit resulted in the creation of the Copenhagen Green Climate Fund to support mitigation and adaptation in developing countries, with an initial budget of 30 billion US dollars for 2010-2012 and a goal to mobilize 100 billion dollars annually by 2020.
• Major economies entered the summit with varying commitments: the US proposed a 17% reduction by 2020 relative to 2005; China proposed reductions of 40-45% (relative to business-as-usual levels); and the EU committed to a 20% reduction relative to 1990, with a willingness to increase this to 30% if other countries cooperated.
• Brazil sought to establish mechanisms like REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) to protect forests as CO2 deposits, specifically targeting a 70% reduction in the Amazon deforestation rate between 2007 and 2017.
• The final agreement was criticized by NGOs and some nations (Bolivia, Venezuela, and Cuba) because it is not binding and was drafted by four countries (USA, China, India, and South Africa) behind closed doors before being submitted for immediate approval.
• The document identifies a lack of precision in the agreement, noting that it fails to set specific mitigation targets for countries, which makes the 2°C target difficult to achieve without global emissions being reduced by 50% by 2050.

APA

Galarraga, I., González-Eguino, M., & Markandya, A. (2009). What happened during the climate change negotiations in Copenhagen 2009? Basque Centre for Climate Change. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/201005071242052061686911.pdf

Chicago

Galarraga, Ibon, Mikel González-Eguino, and Anil Markandya. What happened during the climate change negotiations in Copenhagen 2009? Basque Centre for Climate Change, 2009. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/201005071242052061686911.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Galarraga |first1=Ibon |last2=González-Eguino |first2=Mikel |last3=Markandya |first3=Anil |title=What happened during the climate change negotiations in Copenhagen 2009? |publisher=Basque Centre for Climate Change |date=December 2009 |url=https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/201005071242052061686911.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{galarraga2009what, author = {Galarraga, Ibon and González-Eguino, Mikel and Markandya, Anil}, title = {{What happened during the climate change negotiations in Copenhagen 2009?}}, institution = {Basque Centre for Climate Change}, year = {2009}, month = dec, url = {https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/201005071242052061686911.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }