ENVIRONMENTAL Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica has expressed disappointment at the outcomes of the climate talks in Copenhagen, Denmark.

"Negotiations closed on Saturday without reaching an internationally legally binding agreement, which is disappointing for South Africa who had pushed for a two-track agreement," said Sonjica on Tuesday.

This comes after the conclusion of the two-week long United Nations conference which was attended by 128 heads of state and government.

South Africa had sought for amendments to the Kyoto Protocol setting up a second commitment period, and a legally binding agreement under the convention to bring in the United States (US), bind finance for adaptation and mitigation and, in return, allow some developing countries to commit to actions on mitigation, with support.

Sonjica said that in Copenhagen, parties were still too far apart to reach agreements. The exclusion of Latin American Bolivarian countries from the talks did not help. "Latin America has for years not co-ordinated the region effectively," she said.

At the conclusion of the conference, a total of 28 nations including South Africa signed a political agreement, meaning that negotiations would continue next year.

It was also agreed as to how to measure internationally, to report and verify developing nations' emission reduction actions of countries like China, India, Brazil, South Africa, India and Mexico would be recorded.

"Actions will be supported by transparently accounted finance $10 billion per year up to 2012 and $100 billion per year by 2020. The long-term finance is still beset by conditionalities, but it is the first time that this scale of money is on the table," said Sonjica.

The minister said, however, that the Copenhagen Accord did not deliver on other issues and that there was a lack of agreement on the continuation of the Kyoto Protocol.

South Africa's attempt to continue the second commitment period was blocked again by the European Union.

"Certainly [the conference] was not the break-through that the world expected and the climate needed. It is weak, in that it is partial, and political rather than legally binding. But with some key issues resolved among world leaders represented should help move forward," she said.

Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged world leaders to act in concert to ensure that a legally binding treaty is reached next year.

The political agreement was struck after negotiations had come to a standstill, with Ban intervening at the last minute to assuage nations which felt they had been excluded from parts of the negotiations.

The accord includes an agreement to working towards curbing global temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius, efforts to reduce or limit emissions, and pledges to mobilise $100 billion a year for developing countries to combat climate change.

"While I am satisfied that we sealed a deal, I am aware that the outcome of the Copenhagen conference, including the Copenhagen Accord, did not go as far as many have hoped," Ban said.

Nonetheless, he said that the talks "represent a beginning - an essential beginning," because without nations hammering out a deal in Copenhagen, the financial and technical support for poorer nations agreed upon would not take immediate effect.

The coming challenge for the UN will be to harness political will and translate it into action, said the Secretary-General, who will set up a high-level panel on development and climate change.

Due to the complexity of the negotiations and the entrenched positions held by many countries, "everybody knew that it would not be an easy task," he said, emphasizing the importance of taking proactive action to clinch a legally binding pact next year instead of dwelling on the Copenhagen talks.

Source: Buanews