BRUSSELS, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- A climate-change accord drafted at an international conference in Denmark falls well short of the expectations of the European Commission, leaders said.
World leaders in an extended climate conference in the Danish capital embraced a non-binding agreement that aimed to curb greenhouse gas emissions in order to control global warming. Developing nations are encouraged to cut their emissions, while rich nations contribute billions in aid to help poorer countries adopt green energy practices.
Jose Manuel Barroso, the president for the European Commission, expressed his disappointment with the brief accord, complaining the document fell "far short" of his expectations.
"I will not hide my disappointment," he said. "The level of ambition is honestly not what we were hoping for."
The European Union has embraced a measure that obligates all member states to cut their emissions by 20 percent within the next decade. Barroso said that not only did the Copenhagen accord fail to set any deadlines, "it does not even mention the need for a legally binding agreement."
World leaders take up the climate-change issue next in Mexico City in 2010.
