Newsletter of the International Institute for Environment and Development
December 2009
After more than a week in Copenhagen, and a couple more days to go, its anyone's guess what will come out of this landmark summit. At one level, we can be sure that some sort of deal will be stitched together, as it's not really possible to get presidents and prime ministers together and not come up with something. But there has been no sense of high ambition on the scale of greenhouse gas cuts required, nor need for serious finance to bring about the shift to the low-carbon economy politicians are so fond of talking about.
Meanwhile, for many of the non-governmental actors who arrived this week, it has been impossible to get into the Bella Center—'climate central'—with queues taking 4, 5 and even 8 hours, and now severe limits on entry. Once inside this giant hangar-like space, it resembles an airport where all the flights have been cancelled and people rush in groups from one foyer to another. The occasional round of applause can heard from distant rooms, while the giant plenary space remains empty and expectant.
The countries most vulnerable to climate change, such as the least developed nations and small island states, are getting impatient at the unwillingness of rich countries to make significant commitments on cuts to greenhouse gases, of greater importance to them than money for adaptation.
As President Nasheed of The Maldives made clear at the panel session on Monday that was part of IIED's Development and Climate Days event in Copenhagen, the 'acceptable' level of global warming depends hugely on where you are. A target of 2 degrees Celsius may be all right for some in the Northern hemisphere, but too much for countries such as his, which face disappearing under the waves.
We are all awaiting the news of how bold our leaders are prepared to be. The huge crowds in the streets of Copenhagen have sent a loud message, and the science remains unequivocal.
Now's the time and Copenhagen's the place!
Let me take the opportunity of wishing you all a happy and sustainable 2010.
Camilla Toulmin, Director of IIED
Features
- COP15 Copenhagen, UN climate change conference
- Road to recovery: mapping a sustainable economy
- Afloat: Bangladesh adapts to climate change
Press
- 'Food miles' mantra can be 'miles worse' for climate and communities, say Oxfam, IIED
- Climate change driven by bad economic models, say Nobel winners and international agencies
- Indonesia meeting to show how forests can bring sustainable benefits to all
Briefings
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