David Holds His Ground At Copenhagen

It is over. The crucial, two-week summit that will determine our planet's future climate has drawn to a close in Copenhagen, Denmark. Over 180 countries met, discussed, debated, argued and ultimately  finalized an agreement over the next step in climate policy. The resulting agreement is what most close environmental policy makers and observers are calling, brace yourselves... an utter failure. The scorecard does look bleak; the heaviest polluters will not make measurable changes in their emissions, and the fastest developing countries would not agree to either oversight or to clear emission controls. The countries that went into the summit objecting to meaningful progress seemed to have succeeded in blocking binding resolutions to limit the increase in amount of Greenhouse Gases that our disrupting our planet's climate. But where many are decrying this as a monumental failure, a second look at how the summit transpired may show the developing world's resilience helped save us from complete inaction.

Despite the critical importance of the meetings, in truth little was expected to come out of the Copenhagen Climate Summit in the way of binding emission targets. Vital nations China, India and the United States made it abundantly clear that they were against any proposal that would limit their economic development by way of cuts to their greenhouse gas emissions. Without the largest current and future polluters on board with decisive action, there was little hope any deal could be reached to begin reducing global emissions to the 350 parts per million of CO2 scientist say is required to maintain a stable atmosphere. But under the surface, there were some surprising fortitude on halting emissions coming from outside of the power player nations.

From the start of the Copenhagen Summit the G-77, a coalition of Developing World who make up the largest block of voting nations, move to place the target temperature increase at 1.5 degrees, a much tougher position than the the stated 2.0 degree goal of the summit.

Chief Climate Negotiator for the G-77 Lumumba Stanislaus Di-Aping

“The first criteria is that―is it must be upon the trajectory of 1.5 degrees Celsius, 350 ppm, and 60 percent reductions by 2020. It will be a deal that is based on Kyoto and where United States will have comparable reduction targets, economy-wide and domestic. And it would be a deal where non-Kyoto―Kyoto Protocol signatories who are noncompliant must be―must get their act together and do their part, by a full implementation of their reduction targets.”

These much more ambitious targets indicated that the G-77 membership were clearly looking for serious action to take place at the summit. It seemed that David was drawing a line in the sand and ready to face Goliath. But rather than move beyond sunny statements of support for climate action to real progress, the response of the Developed World was shocking; a leaked document (reported in the press as the Danish Text) revealed that not only were the Developed Nations fighting enacting tougher limits, but they were trying to introduce language to bypass the United Nations altogether as well as shut down the Kyoto Protocol for addressing climate policy, establishing a more lax and unenforceable agreement. Additionally, a paltry $10 billion dollars TOTAL was proposed to help over 200 nations gain access to cleaner technologies for producing energy. Pressure was put on the less developed G-77 countries by the Developed Nations to remove strong negotiators and vocal proponents of tougher binding standards, and political pressure to accept that Developed Nations should be allowed to continue to pollute beyond their means grew to such a level that G-77 negotiator Di-Aping literally wept at the podium stating “We have been asked to sign a suicide pact.” By trying to subvert the Kyoto Protocol and offering a pittance of aid, he stated that the Developed World was condemning millions to poverty, suffering and death from Global Warming”  “$10 billion is not enough to buy us coffins” Di-Aping stated flatly.

Undeterred, the Developing World struck back. Backed by activists in the outside the conferences chanting “Two Degrees is Suicide! One Point Five to Stay Alive!” the G-77 was able to bolster strength and had the Danish Text officially removed from unofficial discussion and the legally binding framework of Kyoto remained the instrument through which climate action would be implemented. While the end result of the conference was a weaker agreement, it is not being seen as the final word that would let the polluters off the hook for more precious years as they had hoped, it is something that will be strengthened in the months and years to come. Though not without inter-member squabbles, it seems the seriousness of Climate Change is now prominently at the front of concerns for the Developing World. In the past, the combined might of the First World could basically shove any agreement through, now it seems something may be changing. By withstanding the enormous political and financial might of a Developed World bent on blunting climate action, the Developing World may have accomplished an impressive victory at Copenhagen just by not being knocked out and holding its ground.

There is scant little time for action on the climate crisis the entire world faces, and the latest round of Climate Change negotiations seems to be setting the stage for squandering precious months with political wrangling. Obama's Copenhagen deal announcement on Friday after the summit which paraphrases to “we agreed to make meaningless changes... but don't hold us to that” demonstrates the Developed Nation's recalcitrance on addressing the seriousness of Global Warming. But we may finally be reaching the breaking point for inaction, where the global public and neediest of the world finally stand up and force the issue on those who have obstructed and denied the need for action for so long. With the most powerful nations in the world pressing on you, it is a victory if you are able to hold you ground and stand up for change instead of business as usual. We may be entering a new age, let's hope it is not too late.
 
(Photo Credit: Robert vanWaarden. http://www.flickr.com/photos/21552129@N03/4171319097/in/set-721576229672...)