Which Nations are Committed?

Written by Zachary Shahan
Published on January 23rd, 2010
2 Comments
Posted in Carbon Emissions, Climate Change, Policy


The deadline for agreeing to the Copenhagen Accord may have been dropped, but the pressure to agree to the Accord and to announce commitments to create cleaner energy sources and reduce pollution is still on.

The US Climate Action Network (USCAN) is making it easier for all of us to follow all of the countries’ commitments through a useful chart of their pledges, how their 2020 targets compare to their 1990 pollution levels, their per capita CO2 emissions, and other information.

The chart also lists those countries which reject the Copenhagen Accord.

Currently, Brazil, South Korea and South Africa have made formal commitments. Respectively, they have committed to 36-39%, 20% and 34% reductions from “business as usual” scenarios. Ghana has also committed to the Accord but hasn’t announced its specific reduction pledge.

Compared to 1990 levels, these commitments mean Brazil will have a 1.9-6.4% increase in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, South Korea will have a 48% increase, and South Africa an 87% increase.

A United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) spokesman has also listed Australia, France, Canada, Papa New Guinea, and Maldives as countries that will sign onto the Accord.

The information on the chart comes from different media sources — The New York Times, Bloomberg, AFP, etc.

Cuba is the only country that has announced it will not sign onto the Accord. We can expect to see many more commitments in the coming week or so.

via Treehugger/USCAN

Related Stories:
1) Expect More Demands, Counter-Demands for Carbon Emission Reductions As UN Drops COP15 Accord Deadline
2) AP Interactive Map of Climate Emissions, Indications and Pledges
3) Climate Talks: Countries Looking to Kick UN Out Must Ensure a Scientifically Sound Treaty
4) India on the Solar & Climate Change Move
5) EU to Push for International Climate Deal Through G20

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2 Responses to “Which Nations are Committed?”

  1. Frank Hanlan Says:
    January 24th, 2010 at 7:46 pm

    The direct link for the table is http://www.usclimatenetwork.org/policy/copenhagen-accord-commitments Besides knowing which countries have signed on it seems to me the really important column is the percentage plus/minus based on 1990 which is fourth from the right.

  2. Ashley Says:
    January 25th, 2010 at 9:06 am

    That’s a great point, but North American countries are coming around…it’s just taking more time. In Canada, they just announced the first phase of grants for the Clean Energy Fund–$146 million, out of a total $1 billion, to advance alternative energy. You can read more about that here:
    http://blog.harvestpower.com/events-happenings/harvest-power-to-receive-investment-from-canadas-clean-energy-fund/