What Will The Copenhagen Climate Change Conference Achieve?

The conference will take place between the 7th December to 18th December. It brings together around 180 countries who hope to come to some agreement on Climate Change targets. Leaders of the EU have recently agreed that 100 billion Euros is needed annually by 2020 to combat climate change. They haven't said how much of this the EU will contribute though, or even decided how the EU contribution would be split between it's own nations.

Yvode Boer, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has set out four major goals he sees the conference needs to agree on.

1. How much are the industrialized countries willing to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases?

2. How much are major developing countries such as China and India willing to do to limit the growth of their emissions?

3. How is the help needed by developing countries to engage in reducing their emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change going to be financed?

4. How is that money going to be managed?

He goes on to show his disappointment that the US did not sign up to the Kyoto treaty. He hopes during this conference the US delegation can contribute, and agree on something that will actually get passed through the Senate.

He also hopes President Obama can encourage India and China to sign up to the next treaty, although Obama faces staunch objections from his own country. The republican party are requesting more analysis of climate change proposals which has meant boycotts of some work sessions regarding the proposals.

India and China have both signaled they are willing to co-operate on climate change, but at exactly what levels yet is unsure. China has promised to reduce emissions by a “notable margin” by 2020, whilst India has agreed to set 'non-binding targets'. The developed countries hope to entice developing countries into reducing emissions, in exchange for more funding.

There is some doubt in some circles about a legally binding agreement being achieved in Copenhagen. Should this happen Sweden and Norway have already made it clear they think another conference should take place in 2010.

Published - Mon 2nd Nov 2009 12:42:37