| Louisville Climate Action Network |
This page was
most recently
updated on
18 Dec 09.
most recently
updated on
18 Dec 09.
Reports from Copenhagen
| Friday, 18 Dec 09 |
Art sent this report at 11PM, Copenhagen time:
Well, President Obama arrived and gave a brief speech (8 minutes) that put no new
measures on the table, disappointing many.
A framework agreement is said to be emerging, but the drafts that I've seen look pretty
skeletal. About the only notable item I see in the current draft is a consensus to keep
the rise in global average temperatures at or below 2° C — which the IPCC said
shouldn't be exceeded to avoid very substantial adverse effects.
Adopting a temperature target is important because, from it, calculating the required
reductions in global GHG emissions—and assigning reduction targets to individual
countries—is fairly straightforward.
However, one of the major problems with using this number is that it represents a global
average and, by definition, some areas could become significantly hotter. African
nations, in particular, note that models relate a 2° C average increase to a 3.5° C rise
(or higher) in many parts of Africa — seen as potentially devastating to those areas.
The rest of the potential agreement is pretty general: some financing goals, and some
commitments to transparency, to allow some degree of verification of what countries do.
But the big domino that must fall for significant int'l agreements to be reached is US
Congressional action creating an emissions-reduction process, like what the House
passed this summer, but is still pending in the Senate. Until it comes about, the US is
not in a very strong position to insist on what other countries do or agree to do.
So, this largest gathering of world leaders to ever gather outside of New York has
disappointed many.
There were reports that hundreds of protesters outside the Bella Conference Center
had cut off their hair and left it in the snow. I may return there tomorrow to see for
myself.
Art Williams
Well, President Obama arrived and gave a brief speech (8 minutes) that put no new
measures on the table, disappointing many.
A framework agreement is said to be emerging, but the drafts that I've seen look pretty
skeletal. About the only notable item I see in the current draft is a consensus to keep
the rise in global average temperatures at or below 2° C — which the IPCC said
shouldn't be exceeded to avoid very substantial adverse effects.
Adopting a temperature target is important because, from it, calculating the required
reductions in global GHG emissions—and assigning reduction targets to individual
countries—is fairly straightforward.
However, one of the major problems with using this number is that it represents a global
average and, by definition, some areas could become significantly hotter. African
nations, in particular, note that models relate a 2° C average increase to a 3.5° C rise
(or higher) in many parts of Africa — seen as potentially devastating to those areas.
The rest of the potential agreement is pretty general: some financing goals, and some
commitments to transparency, to allow some degree of verification of what countries do.
But the big domino that must fall for significant int'l agreements to be reached is US
Congressional action creating an emissions-reduction process, like what the House
passed this summer, but is still pending in the Senate. Until it comes about, the US is
not in a very strong position to insist on what other countries do or agree to do.
So, this largest gathering of world leaders to ever gather outside of New York has
disappointed many.
There were reports that hundreds of protesters outside the Bella Conference Center
had cut off their hair and left it in the snow. I may return there tomorrow to see for
myself.
Art Williams
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