50 DAYS LEFT TO SAVE THE WORLD - ARE WE ABLE TO DO IT, OR WILL WORLD LEADERS FAIL?
We have 50 days left to save the world
Prime Minister Gordon Brown from Great Britain puts fuel into the fire before the big meeting in Copenhagen in December.
Gordon Brown states a warning before the Climate Summit starting on December 7th 2009.
The world has only 50 days left to save the world from global warming he states the other day.
Mr. Brown launches a catastrophe scenario with heat waves, floods and periods of droughts unless the Climate Summit agrees on common goals during this meeting.
Brown counted down from 80 days as well, and stated the seriousness in making a green climate agreement in December.
He speaks to 17 top nations around the world, and concludes that if there is no agreement during the 12 days long Summit, much of the hope for a greener planet is over.
There is no Plan B for the earth. During a certain period of time there is only one to two times nations meet to make agreements that can change history, the Summit in Copenhagen is one of these events.
He points out that there will not be any future meetings that can straighten out the destruction already started around the world, and it has to happen fast.
Mr. Gordon Brown states that in the year of 2080 around 1.8 billion humans will suffer from lack of water, and its not only the poor countries that will be touched by the climate crisis coming up on us.
At this trend, Great Britain will have problems only in few decades, he warns us.
The purpose of the Copenhagen Summit in December is to continue and improve the existing Kyoto agreement from 1997, which ends in 2012.
The last time a similar meeting took place was under the coordination of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Bali in 2007. This meeting really did not accomplish the needed changes in the Kyoto agreement.
Despite the 1997 Kyoto Protocol's status as the flagship of the fight against climate change, it has been a failure in the hard, expensive work of actually reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Its restrictions have been so gerrymandered that only 36 countries are required to limit their pollution. Just over a third of those -- members of the former Eastern bloc -- can pollute at will because their limits were set so far above their actual emissions.
China and India, whose fast-rising emissions easily cancel out any cuts elsewhere, are allowed to keep polluting.
And the biggest polluter of all, the United States, has simply refused to join the treaty.
That leaves Western Europe, Canada, Japan and New Zealand to do the work of the world. Their emissions are rising despite their commitment, starting next year, to reduce them by an average of roughly 8% from 1990 levels.
Fixing the flaws of Kyoto has become an urgent crusade, to create the successor to the treaty, which expires at the end of 2012.
The scientists say there is no leeway for weak measures. The push has come from a series of landmark reports by the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that concluded that greenhouse gas emissions must begin declining in the next decade to prevent a dangerous temperature rise. The panel laid out a framework for reducing emissions that could cost trillions of dollars over the next two decades.
The UN climate summit in New York on September 23rd did make one concrete step forward. But the step has nothing to do with reduction goals or greenhouse gases. Instead, it has much more to do with one simple political realization: Forget Copenhagen.
US President Barack Obama addressed nearly 100 global leaders gathered in New York for a one-day UN climate summit. The meeting was meant to give momentum to the major United Nations climate change conference to be held in Copenhagen from Dec. 7-18. There, world leaders hope to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012, with a new, comprehensive accord on climate change.
The Climate Conference in Copenhagen is essential for the world’s climate and the Danish government and UNFCCC is putting hard effort in making the meeting in Copenhagen a success ending up with a Copenhagen Protocol to prevent global warming and climate changes.
The Climate Conference will take place in the Bella Center. The conference centre is placed not far from Copenhagen and near the Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup.
Governmental representatives from 170 countries are expected to be in Copenhagen in the days of the conference accompanied by other governmental representatives, NGO's, journalists and others. In total 8000 people are expected to Copenhagen in the days of the climate meeting.
Gordon Brown has said the Copenhagen climate change summit in December is "a profound moment for our world" - but does it have a chance of success?
We can differ in opinion, whether it will be a success or not, however, we just have to hope the skeptics amongst us will be proven wrong, otherwise we are in for a rough ride the next decades to come, and we all will be suffering.
We all know if not USA, China and India together with Russia can make the commitments and follow up on any agreement, any text signed in Denmark this year will be a dead document.
China’s policy changes to combat climate change are a positive element but there are still many challenges to overcome.
According to a report compiled by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), it is estimated at least 20 million people have been displaced due to climate change.
For developing states such as China and India the main issue is how to cope with climate change without compromising economic development. Developed states have long enjoyed the benefits fossil fuel for decades and caused the offset of climate change. Developing nations feel they are at a disadvantageous position without the provision of alternative energy supplies, and find it unfair to emphasize on reducing carbon emissions. Developing nations house 80% world population but produce only 40% of the world's emissions, while 60% of global emissions originate from the rich nations that house 20% of the world's population. Developing states do not necessarily have the technology or resources to combat climate change, and feel developed states should offer more aid to compensate this gap. Developing states and developed states remain at odds as to how to spread out greenhouse emission curbs, and how much rich nations should pay poor nations in coping with climate change.
While the European Commission recently proposed that the EU should provide $2-15 billion annually to poor nations to protect themselves from climate change, it falls short of UN estimates of $100 billion for poor nations to effectively adapt to climate change. Joris den Blanken, climate and energy policy director of Greenpeace-EU has criticized that the EU is just leaving “a tip” instead of “paying the bill for climate change”.
China plays a significant role in combating climate change, as it is one of the biggest carbon emitters and emerging state. China and USA each account for 20% greenhouse emissions. The EU accounts for 14% emissions, followed by India and Russia 5% each. China has taken a positive step forward during the G20 summit. China’s President Hu Jintao revealed plans of curbing carbon emission per unit of GDP (i.e. carbon intensity) to a “notable margin” by 2020. China plans to tackle climate change by developing renewable energy, and plant a forest the size of Norway. China also plans to acquire 15% of its energy from clean energy (hydro, wind, and solar energy) by 2020. In comparison EU has set its target at 20%. However, China has been criticized for not providing specific target numbers in reducing carbon intensity.
So far the US has only provided nice words and rhetoric’s and not implemented any plans with commitment within the budget to reduce the negative effects of climate change.
Japan is the only developed state that has vowed to further reduce carbon emissions to 25% by 2020.
Whether the upcoming Copenhagen summit will be a success will depend on US and China’s political will to commit and follow up in practice with real actions in their own backyard..
Prime Minister Gordon Brown from Great Britain puts fuel into the fire before the big meeting in Copenhagen in December.
Gordon Brown states a warning before the Climate Summit starting on December 7th 2009.
The world has only 50 days left to save the world from global warming he states the other day.
Mr. Brown launches a catastrophe scenario with heat waves, floods and periods of droughts unless the Climate Summit agrees on common goals during this meeting.
Brown counted down from 80 days as well, and stated the seriousness in making a green climate agreement in December.
He speaks to 17 top nations around the world, and concludes that if there is no agreement during the 12 days long Summit, much of the hope for a greener planet is over.
There is no Plan B for the earth. During a certain period of time there is only one to two times nations meet to make agreements that can change history, the Summit in Copenhagen is one of these events.
He points out that there will not be any future meetings that can straighten out the destruction already started around the world, and it has to happen fast.
Mr. Gordon Brown states that in the year of 2080 around 1.8 billion humans will suffer from lack of water, and its not only the poor countries that will be touched by the climate crisis coming up on us.
At this trend, Great Britain will have problems only in few decades, he warns us.
The purpose of the Copenhagen Summit in December is to continue and improve the existing Kyoto agreement from 1997, which ends in 2012.
The last time a similar meeting took place was under the coordination of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Bali in 2007. This meeting really did not accomplish the needed changes in the Kyoto agreement.
Despite the 1997 Kyoto Protocol's status as the flagship of the fight against climate change, it has been a failure in the hard, expensive work of actually reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Its restrictions have been so gerrymandered that only 36 countries are required to limit their pollution. Just over a third of those -- members of the former Eastern bloc -- can pollute at will because their limits were set so far above their actual emissions.
China and India, whose fast-rising emissions easily cancel out any cuts elsewhere, are allowed to keep polluting.
And the biggest polluter of all, the United States, has simply refused to join the treaty.
That leaves Western Europe, Canada, Japan and New Zealand to do the work of the world. Their emissions are rising despite their commitment, starting next year, to reduce them by an average of roughly 8% from 1990 levels.
Fixing the flaws of Kyoto has become an urgent crusade, to create the successor to the treaty, which expires at the end of 2012.
The scientists say there is no leeway for weak measures. The push has come from a series of landmark reports by the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that concluded that greenhouse gas emissions must begin declining in the next decade to prevent a dangerous temperature rise. The panel laid out a framework for reducing emissions that could cost trillions of dollars over the next two decades.
The UN climate summit in New York on September 23rd did make one concrete step forward. But the step has nothing to do with reduction goals or greenhouse gases. Instead, it has much more to do with one simple political realization: Forget Copenhagen.
US President Barack Obama addressed nearly 100 global leaders gathered in New York for a one-day UN climate summit. The meeting was meant to give momentum to the major United Nations climate change conference to be held in Copenhagen from Dec. 7-18. There, world leaders hope to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012, with a new, comprehensive accord on climate change.
The Climate Conference in Copenhagen is essential for the world’s climate and the Danish government and UNFCCC is putting hard effort in making the meeting in Copenhagen a success ending up with a Copenhagen Protocol to prevent global warming and climate changes.
The Climate Conference will take place in the Bella Center. The conference centre is placed not far from Copenhagen and near the Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup.
Governmental representatives from 170 countries are expected to be in Copenhagen in the days of the conference accompanied by other governmental representatives, NGO's, journalists and others. In total 8000 people are expected to Copenhagen in the days of the climate meeting.
Gordon Brown has said the Copenhagen climate change summit in December is "a profound moment for our world" - but does it have a chance of success?
We can differ in opinion, whether it will be a success or not, however, we just have to hope the skeptics amongst us will be proven wrong, otherwise we are in for a rough ride the next decades to come, and we all will be suffering.
We all know if not USA, China and India together with Russia can make the commitments and follow up on any agreement, any text signed in Denmark this year will be a dead document.
China’s policy changes to combat climate change are a positive element but there are still many challenges to overcome.
According to a report compiled by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), it is estimated at least 20 million people have been displaced due to climate change.
For developing states such as China and India the main issue is how to cope with climate change without compromising economic development. Developed states have long enjoyed the benefits fossil fuel for decades and caused the offset of climate change. Developing nations feel they are at a disadvantageous position without the provision of alternative energy supplies, and find it unfair to emphasize on reducing carbon emissions. Developing nations house 80% world population but produce only 40% of the world's emissions, while 60% of global emissions originate from the rich nations that house 20% of the world's population. Developing states do not necessarily have the technology or resources to combat climate change, and feel developed states should offer more aid to compensate this gap. Developing states and developed states remain at odds as to how to spread out greenhouse emission curbs, and how much rich nations should pay poor nations in coping with climate change.
While the European Commission recently proposed that the EU should provide $2-15 billion annually to poor nations to protect themselves from climate change, it falls short of UN estimates of $100 billion for poor nations to effectively adapt to climate change. Joris den Blanken, climate and energy policy director of Greenpeace-EU has criticized that the EU is just leaving “a tip” instead of “paying the bill for climate change”.
China plays a significant role in combating climate change, as it is one of the biggest carbon emitters and emerging state. China and USA each account for 20% greenhouse emissions. The EU accounts for 14% emissions, followed by India and Russia 5% each. China has taken a positive step forward during the G20 summit. China’s President Hu Jintao revealed plans of curbing carbon emission per unit of GDP (i.e. carbon intensity) to a “notable margin” by 2020. China plans to tackle climate change by developing renewable energy, and plant a forest the size of Norway. China also plans to acquire 15% of its energy from clean energy (hydro, wind, and solar energy) by 2020. In comparison EU has set its target at 20%. However, China has been criticized for not providing specific target numbers in reducing carbon intensity.
So far the US has only provided nice words and rhetoric’s and not implemented any plans with commitment within the budget to reduce the negative effects of climate change.
Japan is the only developed state that has vowed to further reduce carbon emissions to 25% by 2020.
Whether the upcoming Copenhagen summit will be a success will depend on US and China’s political will to commit and follow up in practice with real actions in their own backyard..