The Copenhagen Summit (Updated)

Just a few months ago, next month’s Copenhagen Summit was being described as the last chance to save the Earth (which really means save humanity) from global warming. Today it looks like the odds of any binding agreement coming out of the summit are zero to none. Some national leaders will be sending lower-ranking figures rather than attending it themselves.  Canada is sending Environment Minister Jim Prentice rather than Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Ironically, US President Barack Obama, who recently spoke of the need for the US and China to cooperate with each other on environmental issues, will be going to Oslo to accept his Nobel Peace Prize but maybe not to Copenhagen. He intends to outline a plan for environmental protection in his Nobel speech. Rhetoric, however, isn’t what is needed now.

Scientists are speculating that we could see global temperatures rise by six degrees celsius by the end of the century and recent findings suggest that the ocean has been growing less able to absorb the primary culprit, carbon dioxide. The effects of these rising temperatures and the extreme weather they exacerbate will disproportionately affect those less industrially developed nations which have contributed least to the problem. Within those nations, women are likely to suffer most as they are often among the most vulnerable populations in the aftermath of natural disasters.

Given who will suffer most if the powerful of the world continue their failure to effectively fight global warming, is it any surprise that events like the Copenhagen Summit often result in nothing more than promises no one expects will be kept? Maybe when off-shore tax havens and island resorts are swept away, it will be a different matter.

What then is the solution? Lester Brown of the Earth Institute has called for a mobilization of resources similar to that of a war-effort, but there’s still the issue of getting governments to go along with it. Naomi Klein writes about the Earth reparation movement and the idea of climate debt whereby wealthier nations would have to pay the less wealthy for the damage they have done and continue to due. This sort of plan is important as it would directly address issues of environmental justice. The problem, of course, is how you go about forcing the rich (and powerful) to pay.

What do you think can be done? What are your ideas?

UPDATE: As of November 26, the word is that President Obama will attend the summit. Let’s hope this means that a meaningful, binding treaty is likely to result.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Timeline of world’s fight to tackle climate change (telegraph.co.uk)
• Copenhagen climate change talks stall as CO2 emissions rise – Christian Science Monitor (csmonitor.com)
• Global climate change deal ‘a year away’ (telegraph.co.uk)
• Obama plays down need to finalise a global deal on climate change (guardian.co.uk)
• Small nations urge tougher climate deal (cbc.ca)
• Copenhagen climate talks: Time to change, no time to waste (guardian.co.uk)
• Harper will only go to climate conference if other leaders do (nationalpost.com)
• Global rallies sound alarm on climate change (thestar.com)
• Analysis: Copenhagen is going to be little more than a photo opportunity for world leaders. (telegraph.co.uk)
• Vulnerable Countries Urge World to Cut Emissions (abcnews.go.com)
• News Analysis: Obama Hobbled in Fight Against Global Warming (nytimes.com)
• Denmark Seeks Specific Pledges at Climate Talks (abcnews.go.com)
• Vulnerable countries urge world to cut emissions (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Copenhagen activists’ diary (guardian.co.uk)
• Al Gore condones ‘civil disobedience’ against fossil fuel polluters (dvorak.org)
• Will British Prime Minister Gordon Brown attend the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen? (hubdub.com)
• US Official: Climate agreement will take time (seattletimes.nwsource.com)