Friday
Dec112009
Minor Issues Need Sorting As Copenhagen Prepares For Obama
Friday, December 11, 2009 at 12:51PM
Climate negotiators in Copenhagen are dealing with a couple of key issues in the final days before numerous world leaders descend on Denmark.
According to Union of Concerned Scientists official Alden Meyer, a “mini-scandal” involving a heavily guarded draft text that was leaked to the press earlier this week is causing representatives of some of the poorer nations in attendance to question larger nations’ willingness to strike a fair deal.
The document, known as the “Danish Text,” would allow rich countries to dictate the distribution of billions of dollars that would be provided to smaller nations as part of a global agreement on curbing greenhouse gas emissions.
“It caused quite a furor here and concerns among some of the developing countries about transparency and participation in the process,” said Meyer, who is one of several experts affiliated with the U.S. Climate Action Network in Copenhagen.
Another tricky equation being looked at by negotiators is how to convince developing nations to reduce their emissions without inhibiting growth.
“The issue of how to reflect [that] in any new treaty or instrument, how to verify what countries are doing on the ground and most importantly, how to raise both the short-term and long-term revenue needed to help countries bend their emissions curve as they continue to develop will be a big issue,” said Meyer.
According to Meyer, all eyes will be on President Barack Obama when he arrives at the conference next week. There, Obama is expected to announce a commitment by the U.S. to cut emissions by 17% over the next decade.
According to Union of Concerned Scientists official Alden Meyer, a “mini-scandal” involving a heavily guarded draft text that was leaked to the press earlier this week is causing representatives of some of the poorer nations in attendance to question larger nations’ willingness to strike a fair deal.
The document, known as the “Danish Text,” would allow rich countries to dictate the distribution of billions of dollars that would be provided to smaller nations as part of a global agreement on curbing greenhouse gas emissions.
“It caused quite a furor here and concerns among some of the developing countries about transparency and participation in the process,” said Meyer, who is one of several experts affiliated with the U.S. Climate Action Network in Copenhagen.
Another tricky equation being looked at by negotiators is how to convince developing nations to reduce their emissions without inhibiting growth.
“The issue of how to reflect [that] in any new treaty or instrument, how to verify what countries are doing on the ground and most importantly, how to raise both the short-term and long-term revenue needed to help countries bend their emissions curve as they continue to develop will be a big issue,” said Meyer.
According to Meyer, all eyes will be on President Barack Obama when he arrives at the conference next week. There, Obama is expected to announce a commitment by the U.S. to cut emissions by 17% over the next decade.