Key climate document leaked

Several versions of "Copenhagen Accord" were leaked yesterday while the heads of state were struggling to finalise the declaration of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
In the fourth version of the accord it was said the parties will recognise the scientific view of increase in global temperature not exceeding 2 degrees Celsius on the basis of equity and in the context of sustainable development to combat climate change.
The parties will review the accord the implementation of which will be completed by 2016 in light of the convention's ultimate objective. This review will include consideration to strengthen the long-term goal to limit the increase in global average temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
But Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change chair RK Pachauri said if the world cannot keep the ceiling of temperature rise within 1.5 degrees and the peaking year of that rise within 2015, parts of Bangladesh and many other small islands will suffer enormously.
The second draft of the Copenhagen Accord, which was sneaked out late Thursday night, had a huge gap between the demands of the least developed countries and the achievements.
Later, two more documents were leaked.
In the third draft, the clause of turning the political documents into legally binding ones within 2010 or before COP-16 was excluded.
It said the parties were going to agree that the increase in global temperature "ought not to exceed 2 degrees".
In the fourth document, they said they would recognise the scientific view of keeping the temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius.
It, however, does not say the parties will keep the temperature rise below that ceiling.
The parties were discussing the fifth text as of 2:00am Bangladesh time.
Without mentioning any timeframe, the document that was being prepared by the heads of participating states, said the countries should reduce the ceiling of their peak temperature as soon as possible.
It does not propose any international scrutiny for developing countries.
The documents to be declared after the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change are possibly a political accord, not "legally binding" ones, but the status was yet to be confirmed.
The text, drafted early yesterday by a select group of 28 leaders including UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, proposes extending negotiations for another year until the next scheduled UN meeting on climate change in Mexico City in December 2010.
The paper has texts on the aggregated reduction of greenhouse gas but the parties were yet to insert figures of targets up to 2020.
The Daily Star yesterday morning got a copy of the second draft of the documents, which says a fund of $30 billion for adaptation is going to be created for up to 2012 and a fund of $100 billion after 2020.
However, the text did not mention anything on how the funds will be created and the share of public money in the fund.
Dr Saleemul Haq, chief of the climate change cell, International Institute of Environment and Development, who is observing COP 15 very closely, said this draft is totally "inadequate" for Bangladesh.
Asked if Bangladesh is going to sign a document like this, State Minister for Environment and Forests Hasan Mahmud said, "We want something positive."
Mohammed Nashid, president of the Maldives, told the media that he would not sign a document that approves the ceiling of increased global temperature above 1.5 degrees Celsius.