Cold climate in Copenhagen: China and the United States at COP15

Abstract

The latest round in the UN climate change negotiations, COP15, held in Copenhagen in December 2009, was intended to determine binding goals, targets and measures for the time beyond 2012, when the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period ends. Instead, it produced a non-binding political agreement – the Copenhagen Accord. To explain why, the key contributions of China and the United States are assessed. Domestic institutions and circumstances influenced and constrained these states' actions, with consequences that amplified longstanding weaknesses in the UNFCCC and shaped the COP's result.