The Copenhagen agreed outcome: Form, shape and influence

Economic and Political Weekly

Volumn 44, Issue 48, 2009, Pages 30-35

  Rajamani, Lavanya ^a  

^a CENTRE FOR POLICY RESEARCH   (India)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 78149479867     PISSN: 00129976     EISSN: 23498846     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: None     Document Type: Article

References (53)

1. See Lavanya Rajamani, "'Cloud' over Climate Negotiations: From Bangkok to Copenhagen and Beyond", Economic & Political Weekly, 24 October 2009,
2. "Exploring Legal Form Options", Economic & Political Weekly, 8 August 2009 on which this article builds.
3. Statement by Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, GLOBE Copenhagen Legislators Forum, 24 October 2009.
4. Edith M Lederer, UN Signals Delay in Climate Change Treaty, Associated Press, 27 October 2009.
5. Michael von Bülow, World Leaders: Legally Binding Treaty Out of Reach in Copenhagen, 16 November 2009, available at, http://en.cop15.dk/news.
6. Consideration of Commitments for Subsequent Periods for Parties Included in Annex I to the Convention under Article 3, Paragraph 9 of the Kyoto Protocol, in FCCC/KP/CMP/2005/8/Add.1 (30 March 2006).
7. See AOSIS and African Group Statements, LCA Closing Plenary, Barcelona, 6 November 2009 (on file with the author).
8. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 29 May 1992, A/AC.237/18 (Part II)/Add.1, reprinted in (1992) 31 ILM 849 [hereinafter FCCC].
9. Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 10 December 1997, FCCC/CP/1997/L.7/add.1, reprinted in (1998) 37 ILM 22 [hereinafter Kyoto Protocol].
10. Decision 1/CP.13, Bali Action Plan, in FCCC/ CP/2007/6/Add.1 (14 March 2008) [hereinafter Bali Action Plan].
11. Work Program for 2009, Draft Conclusions Proposed By The Chair, FCCC/AWGLCA/2008/L.10 (10 December 2008).
12. Negotiating Text, Note by the Chair, FCCC/ AWGLCA/2009/8 (19 May 2009), paragraph 19.
13. Revised Negotiating Text, FCCC/AWGLCA/2009/Inf.1 (22 June 2009).
14. Non-papers containing revised negotiating texts, available at, http://unfccc.int/meetings/ad-hoc-working-groups/lca/items/5012.php
15. Organisation of Work, Draft Conclusions proposed by the Chair, FCCC/AWGLCA/2009/L.5 (6 November 2009)
16. Non-paper 52, available at, supra note 14.
17. Decision 1/CP.1, The Berlin Mandate, in FCCC/CP/1995/7/Add.1 (6 June 1995), preambular paragraph 3.
18. Report of the Ad Hoc Group on the Berlin Mandate on the work of its Sixth Session, Bonn, 3-7 March 1997, in FCCC/AGBM/1997/3 (8 April 1997), paragraphs 16 and 17;
19. Adoption of a Protocol or Another Legal Instrument: Fulfilment of the Berlin Mandate, Revised text under negotiation, FCCC/CP/1997/2 (12 November 2009).
20. Technical Review of the Revised Text under Negotiation, FCCC/CP/1997/CRP.1 (29 November 1997).
21. Contributions to Global Warming: Historic Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Fossil Fuel Combustion, 1900-1999, Earth Trends, Environmental Information, World Resources Institute, available at, http://earthtrends.wri.org/
22. Non-paper 28, available at, supra note 14.
23. See List of Non-papers, 6 November 2009, available at, supra note 14.
24. Compilation of information relating to possible quantified emission limitation and reduction objectives as submitted by Parties, Informal Note by the Secretariat, 29 September 2009.
25. Kelly Levin and Rob Bradley, Comparability of Annex I Emission Reduction Pledges, World Resources Institute Working Paper, September 2009.
26. Alliance of Small Island States, Aggregate Annex-I reductions for 2020, 28 September 2009 (on file with the author).
27. See Terry Barker et al, "Climate Change 2007: Mitigation of Climate Change, Contribution of Working Group III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change" (Cambridge University Press, 2007), Box 13.7 at 776.
28. "US Not to Sign New Climate Pact without Senate Nod", Hindustan Times, 14 November 2009.
29. Daniel Samuelsohn, "Climate Bill Signing 'Not Going to Happen' by Copenhagen - Browner", NY Times, 2 October 2009.
30. Brunnée "COPing with Consent: Law-Making under Multilateral Environmental Agreements", 15. Leiden Journal of International Law 1, 32 (2002),
31. See Kal Raustiala, Compliance and Effectiveness In International Regulatory Cooperation 32 Case W. Res. J. Int'l L. 387 (2000),
32. Article 4(5), FCCC, 1992.
33. See Decision 27/CMP.1, Procedures and Mechanisms Relating to Compliance under the Kyoto Protocol, in FCCC/KP/CMP/2005/8/Add.3 (30 March 2006).
34. Article 3(1) and (2), Kyoto Protocol, 1997.
35. Several Kyoto Protocol Parties were above their 1990 levels of emissions, some well above them, in 2007. Data available at, http://unfccc.int/ghg-data/ghg-data-unfccc/items/4146.php.
36. Pierre-Marie Dupuy, Soft Law and the International Law of the Environment 12 Mich. J. Int'l Law 420 (1991);
37. See "Remarks" by Gunther Handl in W Michael Reisman et al, A Hard Look At Soft Law 82 Am Soc'y Int'l L. Proc. 371 (1988).
38. Douglas M Johnston, Consent and Commitment in the World Community (Irvington-on-Hudson, NY: Transnational Publishers), pp 197-98 (1997).
39. Address by FCCC Executive Secretary, Yvo de Boer, A Package that Delivers Immediate Action, Pre-COP Consultations, 16-17 November 2009.
40. Decision 5/CP. 6, The Bonn Agreements on the implementation of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action in FCCC/CP/2001/5 (25 September 2001).
41. The legal personality of COPs is discussed in R Churchill and G Ulfstein, Autonomous Institutional Arrangements in Multilateral Environmental Agreements: A Little Noticed Phenomenon in International Law, 94 Am. J. Int'l L. 623 (2000).
42. See, e g, Article 6 (2), 12 (7) and 17, Kyoto Protocol, and Principles Nature and Scope of the Mechanisms pursuant to Article 6, 12 and 17 of the Kyoto Protocol, Decision 2/CMP 1, in FCCC/KP/CMP/2005/8/Add.1 (2005).
43. Pursuant to Article 4(2) (d), FCCC, 1992.
44. See, e g, Berlin Mandate, supra note 17.
45. Article 31(3) (a), Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, 1969.
46. Explicit authorisation for binding law-making is unusual. Article 2(9) Montreal Protocol, 1987 is an oft-quoted example.
47. Article 7(1) read with Article 7(4), Kyoto Protocol, 1997, renders Decision 15/CMP.1 binding in a formal sense. Decision 15/CMP 1, Guidelines for the preparation of the information required under Article 7 of the Kyoto Protocol, in FCCC/KP/CMP/2005/8/Add.2 (30 March 2006).
48. Article 7, FCCC, 1992.
49. See, e g, Decision 7/CP.7, Funding under the Convention, in FCCC/CP/2001/13/Add.1 (21 January 2002), paragraphs 1(b) and (e).
50. Decision 1/CP8, Delhi Ministerial Declaration on Climate Change and Sustainable Development, in FCCC/CP/2002/7/Add.1 (28 March 2003).
51. See Draft Rules of Procedure of the Conference of the Parties and its Subsidiary Bodies in FCCC/ CP/1996/2 (22 May 1996).
52. Ministerial Declaration, Review of the Implementation of the Convention and of decisions of the first session of the Conference of the Parties, FCCC/CP/1996/L.17 (18 July 1996).
53. David G Victor, The Use and Effectiveness of Non-Binding instruments in the Management of Complex International Environmental Problems, 91 Am. Soc'y Int'l L. Proc. 241 (1997).