Developing Nations Back in Climate Change Conference

The Copenhagen Climate Change Conference came to a stop on December 14th in light of developing nations’ claims that developed nations had been trying to bury the present Kyoto Protocol, which was established in 1997 and which runs for a further three years.  Discussions due to have got underway in the Danish capital at 10.30am on December 14th did not do so but, five hours later, it was reported that they had resumed, with the African nations’ cooperation. 

Climate Change Deal

Despite this resolution, there are now four days remaining in which to forge a new global climate change deal and move the world away from fossil fuels and towards a new age of clean technologies like hydro, wind and solar.  After the African protest, US officials asserted that Barack Obama, the US President, was trying to progress the Climate Change Conference talks prior to his arrival at the event.  At the conference itself, meanwhile, international negotiators paired up representatives from developed and undeveloped nations to try and forge deeper ties.  Britain was paired up with Ghana, and the two countries tasked with assessing capital raising methods in order to finance climate change fighting strategies in poorer countries. 

Climate Change Protest: Africa

Prior to making their Climate Change Conference protest, representatives of African nations highlighted how richer countries were guilty of attempting to bury present Kyoto emissions strategies, adding that the intended discussion agenda for that day was not directly related to their fears.  In fact – said one official – the richer nations were actively attempting to undermine the Climate Change Conference’s progress, even make it “collapse”.  Their plans – Algeria’s Kamel Djemouai advised journalists – meant “...that we are going to accept the death of the only one legally binding instrument that exists now”, i.e. the Kyoto Protocol.

Countries like those in Africa are keen for the Kyoto Protocol to remain in force as there is no other legally binding agreement that compels developed nations to achieve greenhouse gas emission reductions.  They are concerned that the climate change agreement which follows it will be much less stringent, making emissions reductions non-compulsory and becoming relatively lax when targets fail to be hit.  The US, Russia and Japan (to name but three), meanwhile, highlight the need for amendments to the Protocol, in order to oblige the likes of Africa to cut down on emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases.

Climate Change Agreement

As a result of the protest, many people have become concerned that a new global climate change agreement is now unachievable. “We have already lost half a day and we can’t afford that at this stage”, an unidentified official told the Times publication on December 14th.  “The big fear is that we end up with nothing firm emerging from Copenhagen from either of the negotiating tracks.”

Today (December 15th) will see the talks enter a new phase, with a number of the world’s most influential leaders having arrived – British Prime Minister Gordon Brown among them. These talks will be opened by Ban Ki-Moon, the United Nations Secretary General, and – in comments made to journalists prior to leaving for the conference - Mr Ban commented that time was “running out”.

“If everything is left to leaders to resolve at the last minute, we risk having a weak deal or no deal at all," he stated, adding: “And this would be a failure of potentially catastrophic consequence.”

Enviro News will continue to provide coverage of the principal Copenhagen Climate Change Conference moments as they take place.