COP 15: Copenhagen Climate Conference
At the December 2007 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, the participating nations adopted the Bali Roadmap, a two-year process to finalising a binding agreement in 2009 in Denmark. The agreement will be a successor for the Kyoto Protocol. From December 7th- December 18th 2009 the Council of Parties (COP) of the UNFCCC will meet for the 15th time in Copenhagen. COP 15, as the meeting is known, is seen to be the last chance to halt devastating climate change. As the Kyoto Protocol comes to an end, without an agreement which sets real and binding targets, that includes commitments from the USA and the major developing nations – Brazil, China and India, it is unlikely that what is agreed at Copenhagen will have enough impact to halt climate change.
The subjects on the table for discussion included:
- The baseline year that specified reduction targets will be measured against and the duration of the second commitment period.
- The proposed greenhouse gas reduction targets for both the second commitment period and beyond.
- Whether the agreement will be expanded to include greenhouse gases that are currently excluded from the Kyoto Protocol.
- Whether a new agreement will be expanded to include Greenhouse gas emissions from the international maritime industry and Greenhouse gas emissions from the international aviation industry, both of which are currently omitted from the Kyoto Protocol.
- Whether the rules governing the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) will be tightened to ensure the environmental integrity and avoidance of greenhouse gas emissions or whether they will be relaxed.
- Whether the CDM will include the as yet unproved Carbon Capture and Storage technology being promoted as a way of allowing coal-fired power stations to continue operating and new ones to be built.
- Whether the agreement will include measures to curb the rate of deforestation, especially of tropical rainforests in developing countries – otherwise known as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD). Source: www.climate-leaders.org
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