Here's the story. Earlier in the week, in Copenhagen, a group of climate activists disrupted a public meeting of Americans for Prosperity, which is an astroturf organization committed to fighting action on climate change. At the time, Lord Monckton--a prominent speaker on the climate change denialist circuit--called the protesters,"Hitler youth." That was bad enough.
The prospects for a unified front between developed and developing nations in combating climate change further broke down today, as more than half of the world's countries -- mostly smaller nations, including those most threatened by the effects of global warming -- pledged not to sign any accord that allows global temperatures to rise by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. (Abhishek's got more on that)
The president is not the only American official making waves in Europe today. According to this post in the Wall Street Journal's Environmental Capital blog, EPA administrator Lisa Jackson had a "veni, vidi, vici moment" in Copenhagen.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is reasserting control over the negotiations after a leaked document raised what he called "trust issues" between developed and developing countries. The UN's top climate diplomat says the document is just one informal proposal and he real work will be done at the negotiating table.
"The Chinese commitment target is a strong one by any measure. No developing country in economic history—other than post-Mao China—has cut its energy-related greenhouse gas emissions growth so deeply for so long.
The future of civilization hinges on the outcome of the international climate talks in Copenhagen, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon told reporters today.
If that's the case, the prospect for human survival just took a turn for the worse.
UN Dispatch has assembled an excellent team to cover the action in Copenhagen. For the duration of the conference, we will offer daily round-ups that present the highlights and major developments of the day in easily digestible prose. These will be written by Dispatch contributors Lindsay Beyerstein and Aaron Wiener. For those craving a deeper look at the diplomacy of Copenhagen, our man in India, Abhishek Nayak, is your source. He'll be in Copenhagen during the crucial second week of the conference and will of
The delegates have descended on Copenhagen. The curtain has been raised. And as UN climate chief Yvo de Boer told the representatives of 192 countries at the opening festivities of the 12-day international climate conference, “The clock has ticked down to zero. After two years of negotiation, the time has come to deliver.”
A version of the same editorial calling for action in Copenhagen ran in 56 newspapers in 45 countries today. Many on the front page. This unprecedented effort was spearheaded by the Guardian. Good for it.
Today 56 newspapers in 45 countries take the unprecedented step of speaking with one voice through a common editorial. We do so because humanity faces a profound emergency.