Many say the first week of the COP15 (Fifteenth Conference of the Parties) to the UNFCCC was relatively slow in advancing towards the necessary deal to limit greenhouse gases. This week is the second and last. On Thursday and Friday, around 110 world leaders will be gathering to discuss and decide what joint strategy is to be enforced.

One of the main problems these past days in Copenhagen had to do with the differences between developed and developing countries. Developed countries want a deal that includes and, in a way, surpasses the Kyoto Protocol by making both the rich and the poor limit their greenhouse gas emissions; whereas developing nations (mainly African countries) want to extend the Kyoto Protocol (that only binds industrialized nations), and create a new deal for the poor.

Yesterday, African nations demanding more commitment toward Kyoto, boycotted the main session of climate talks, just before noon. But thanks to informal talks with the COP presidency, negotiations were resumed.

On the other hand, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon wisely suggested negotiators to get their job done, and not to leave “tough issues” to world leaders, because this might bring about a defective deal, or no deal at all.

However, many world leaders will be arriving early to try to bridge the gaps. Among them is British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who arrives in Copenhagen today. He will be meeting different chiefs of state.

This afternoon is the formal start of the intensive, high-level stage of negotiations. Ban Ki-Moon will be leading an opening ceremony at 1630 GMT.

Importantly enough, last Friday, a draft climate pact was released. It proposes to reduce emissions in at least a half by 2050, compared to 1990 levels. Though it has been accused of having some gaps, such as a lack of specificity on how much money richer nations should give poorer ones to help them fight climate change, and on when GHG emissions should peak, it has nevertheless aroused hope.

The draft focuses on the main targets for the world to achieve if it plans to avoid climate catastrophe.

Lastly, COP President Connie Hedegaard said on Saturday that “we have made considerable progress over the course of the first week”. Let’s hope we keep up this progress and that it turns out to be effective in facing the largest challenge we have ever confronted as humans.

VIA:

Reuters

COP15

• US President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and in his acceptance speech he emphasized the need for fighting climate change. He mentioned that from scientists and environmental activists to military leaders, the knowledge that “our common security hangs in the balance” is widespread.
• 100 nations are demanding more ambitious targets in terms of combating climate change. Among these, the 43-member alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) is particularly concerned about the effect rising sea levels can have on them. The least developed countries (LDCs) and the AOSIS support the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees temperature rise. This would require at least a 45% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by rich nations, from 1990 levels by 2020.
• A new draft, the “Copenhagen Accord” has surfaced, prepared by China, India, South Africa and Brazil, the four major emerging economies. The draft suggests that rich countries should reduce their emissions by more than 40% compared to 1990 levels, and that the Kyoto Protocol should include a “binding” amendment. The draft was posted by French newspaper “Le Monde” in its website. The “Copenhagen Accord” aims at keeping temperatures from increasing more than two degrees compared to pre-industrial levels. An interesting proposal is that emissions reductions should be achieved “mainly through domestic measures” and not so much through paying for offsetting in other countries.

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• Russian president Dmitry Medvedev will attend Copenhagen, on December 17-18. The fact that Medvedev has decided to participate in the conference means that leaders from the 15 most emitting countries will attend the COP15.
• Guess which was the most searched word in Google these past days? Copenhagen. This is yet another proof that the world is turned to this potentially revolutionary event, which will affect our world, and the world we leave to future generations.
• And last but… certainly not least; we have Sweden’s promise to give 800 million euro to help developing countries in their fight against climate change.

VIA: COP15

The fifteenth meeting of the UNFCCC members in Copenhagen, Denmark, started this Monday. It will last two weeks, and will determine the future of our planet. The world leaders gathered there have humanity’s future in their hands. The transcendence of this conference cannot be undermined.

Below we present some of the selected main news of these past two days’ progress.

• UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has shown his optimism that a strong agreement to fight climate change can be reached in Copenhagen. “From all corners of the globe we see unprecedented momentum for a deal… I’m encouraged and I’m optimistic.”
• An alleged Danish draft proposal for climate initiatives was published by British newspaper The Guardian. Apparently, developing nations are not exactly thrilled with the draft’s content.
• A study released yesterday claims that between 25 million and one billion people might have to leave their homes in the next four decades, due to natural disasters. However, few of them might be able to do so, because of a lack of the necessary means to move to more secure places. The study is from the International Organization for Migration. It adds that in recent years, the “number of people affected by natural disasters has more than doubled”.

• The UN weather agency announced yesterday that this decade has almost certainly been the warmest one ever recorded. 2009 might be one of the warmest years.
• The US E.P.A. (Environmental Protection Agency) officially declared that greenhouse gases are threatening to human health and the environment. This announcement can be of help for showing US will to achieve an agreement. It also adds pressure to the US in a way.

This first week will mainly be dedicated to elaborating a text for a draft treaty. Decisions will be taken by the end of the conference by environment ministers and heads of state.

Let’s hope all those in charge of drafting proposals and making decisions are aware of the responsibility they have. They have the chance of solving the climate crisis and the dangerous and also unforeseeable consequences it may bring.

VIA: COP15

We have already analyzed the tools being developed by the Sustainability Institute. This organization has created interactive simulation models that help people in charge of environmental decision-making.

Now the Sustainability Institute has released the Climate Scoreboard, which aims to keep citizens updated on the daily progress made in Copenhagen, and how negotiations will impact on our future.

The Climate Scoreboard is a widget that can be embedded to any webpage, blog or social media. It is updated regularly to include news from Copenhagen. It shows how proposals made in the conference will most likely affect the future climate.

Above is the embedded widget. The yellow “business-as-usual” line stands for the expected temperature increase that might take place by 2100 if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced.

The blue line represents the current proposals and the probable temperature that would result from their enacting. This line moves according to the latest proposals; if these change, so does the line’s position. And lastly we have the green “goals” line, which embodies the target of keeping the temperature increase below 2°C.

The Sustainability Institute wants to help make COP15 more accessible to an ordinary reader, who may not be fully updated and informed on the conference’s discussions and proposals, and how these can have an actual influence on our world. It is certainly not easy to keep track of the more than 190 members of the UNFCCC, each of their strategies, plans and proposals. That’s why I think having a tool that assembles all that data and tidies it up to present an understandable overview of the possible impacts of the negotiations being held now is remarkable.

I encourage you to use it, spread it and make the most out of it. Being informed is already an important contribution to the change we need to make.

VIA: Sustainability Institute