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On the heels of president Obama’s announcement earlier this week that he will attend the COP15 climate conference in Copenhagen and propose firm (if inadequate) emissions targets, Chinese officials have stated they will also propose mitigation targets in Copenhagen. The move from the two largest greenhouse gas emitters has some breathing a sigh of relief in the final days before the start of the conference, though it is also clearly noted that the proposals put forth by both nations fall far short of what science and most of the international community say is necessary.
Continue Reading China Proposes Emissions Target Ahead of COP15
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Executive Secretary Yvo De Boer gave a press briefing today from UNFCCC headquarters in Bonn, Germany outlining what “can and must” be achieved at the COP15 climate change conference starting on December 7th in Copenhagen.
Continue Reading UNFCCC Chief Briefs the Press on Expectations for COP15
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EarthTalk® is a weekly environmental column made available to our readers from the editors of E/The Environmental Magazine
Dear EarthTalk: What do organizers hope to accomplish at the upcoming (December 7-18, 2009) United Nations Climate Change Conference being held in Copenhagen? – F. Rojas, Oakland, CA
Continue Reading EarthTalk: What to Expect from the COP15 Climate Conference in Copenhagen
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News reports that president Obama has acknowledged that “time has run out” for a legally binding deal to come from the COP15 climate talks next month in Copenhagen has many in the mainstream media leading with a message of “no, we can’t.” While the announcement at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) breakfast yesterday gives the impression of a fait accompli for COP15, leaving only the possibility of a “political framework” as the goal and the need for a “two-step” process for a final climate treaty for 2010 “at the earliest,” reports that climate talks in Copenhagen “are in tatters” is hardly accurate and gives a distinctly wrong impression.
Continue Reading Managing Expectations for COP15
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I am currently in the Maryland countryside, participating in a Transatlantic Media Dialog hosted by the German Embassy and the Ecologic Institute. The mission of the event is, in part, to serve as a followup to the efforts the German foreign ministry has made in recent months to create a better understanding of German energy and climate policy, including the international environmental journalist press trip in which I participated last spring. These efforts serve to foster greater communication on the Transatlantic Climate Bridge begun by the German government in January.
Continue Reading A Sense of Urgency Ahead of Cop15?
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The last round of global warming negotiations before the Copenhagen meeting begins wrapped up last Friday in Barcelona. Much of the actual negotiations were focused on getting the negotiating text and the underlying details contained in the text into better shape. But there were also important discussions for what can be achieved in Copenhagen and ultimately out of this international negotiations. After all, after we leave Barcelona there are only 4 weeks before negotiations begin in Copenhagen.
Continue Reading Building for Success on International Global Warming Cooperation in Copenhagen
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The final week of international climate negotiations before the major COP15 summit in Copenhagen next month ended in Barcelona today with little progress made on the two principal issues fueling the continuing statement between rich and poor nations, specifically mid-term mitigation targets and financing. Delegations from 50 African nations brought the talks to a halt on Tuesday, saying any further negotiations required a firmer commitment from industrialized nations on mid-term emission reductions targets. Leaders from the delegations said that countries should commit to a 40% reduction over 1990 levels by 2020, far higher number than any developed nation has put on the table.
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The following video is the final press briefing from the climate talks in Bangkok, Thailand. UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer speaks on progress made and challenges remaining at the conclusion of the two-week negotiating sessions, one of the last chances to iron out major points of contention ahead of the COP15 Climate Change Conference this December in Copenhagen.
Continue Reading Final Press Briefing from Bangkok Climate Talks
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