Pachauri: Emergence of New Group Was Key to Copenhagen

By: Clean Skies News, Published: 12/23/09 12:24pm

The chairman of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is disputing claims that the Copenhagen talks were a failure.

In his first public comments since the Copenhagen talks ended, Rajendra Pachauri, says the emergence of China, India, South Africa and Brazil is a "a very significant political development."

It wasn't until after President Obama met with the leaders of those countries that the Copenhagen Accord emerged.

Pachauri says developed countries will "have to deal with the power of this group" of they want to reach a full fledged binding agreement in Mexico next year.

Pachauri says if there's no deal next year, it will be much more difficult and expensive for the world to fight climate change.

Pachauri also endorsed India's stand that future negotiations should be based on the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. In Copenhagen, many developed countries wanted to see the end of the Kyoto Protocol, which the U.S. refused to ratify and which required developed countries to cut emissions while making no demands on developing nations such as India.

"Whatever one calls the new agreement, its general principles must be based on the Kyoto Protocol," he said. Otherwise, it would not be accepted by a large number of countries.