Copenhagen Climate Change Conference Begins

A massively significant and potentially era-defining conference on global climate change has got underway in the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen.  The United Nations Climate Change Conference runs between December 7th and 18th 2009, and it is hoped that here, a new global agreement on how to tackle the impact of global warming will be struck up between no less than 192 nations.  Some representatives of the scientific community have referred to the meeting as unparalleled in its importance and, over the next fortnight, approximately 100 world leaders are due to converge on the Danish capital. 

Prior to today’s opening, the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) Executive Secretary, Yvo de Boer, relayed a positive message concerning the build-up to the event. “Never in 17 years of climate negotiations have so many different countries made so many pledges”, he said, in comments made to the BBC.  Mr de Boer added that a number of developed nations had pledged to fund clean technology initiatives within undeveloped nations, and discussions were advancing in terms of intensive, long-term greenhouse gas emission reduction strategies.

Recent days have seen a raft of new emission reduction announcements take place.  The most recent belongs to South Africa, which on December 6th, pledged a 30+ per cent cut in CO2 emissions growth by 2020, so long as developed nations provide it with the technical help and the cash injections needed to achieve this. 

Conference on Climate Change

The sheer weight of this conference is illustrated by the fact that more than 50 major international newspapers published the same editorial piece to coincide with its start.  This highlighted the impact that climate change could be expected to have if no solid agreement emerges out of the conference on climate change.  A “settlement between the rich world and the developing world” is pivotal to this agreement, the editorial stressed.

The agreement, if reached, will replace the 12-year-old Kyoto Protocol, which runs for another three years. 

Copenhagen Climate Change Summit

Among the key leaders set to participate in the Copenhagen climate change summit are Gordon Brown (the British Prime Minister), Nicolas Sarkozy and Barack Obama –the presidents of France and the US, respectively.  They – along with their counterparts, will discuss issues including national and international greenhouse gas emission reduction goals, funding green technologies in undeveloped nations and deforestation.

“I think what we will see coming out of Copenhagen is a package of decisions that define a long-term goal”, Mr de Boer stated.

Enviro News will provide continuous coverage of the most significant aspects of the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference as they emerge.