: First, the good news. While only one head of state was in attendance to sign the Kyoto protocol, over 160 of them were present to negotiate the Copenhagen Accord—a clear indication that climate change has moved centrestage in global policymaking. While the Kyoto protocol imposed obligations only on developed countries that ratified it, the Copenhagen Accord brings both into purview, both the US and China—the world’s leading greenhouse gas emitters. Both developing and developed countries have moved from entrenched positions. India and China have been persuaded to set and achieve peaking emissions, albeit on principles of historical equity. Following on the same principles, developed countries have agreed to provide financial resources, technology and capacity-building to support the implementation of adaptation action in developing countries. Such mitigation actions will be subject to international measurement, in return for which developed countries will mobilise $100 billion a year by 2020 to meet developing countries’ historically justified demands. Perhaps a good indicator of the fact that there were good intentions all around is the difficulty of isolating Copenhagen villains. The usual suspects didn’t do too badly, after all. UK’s Gordon Brown came up with the $100-billion figure. The US President personally pushed the envelope to reach some kind of agreement. Indian and Chinese leaders refrained from becoming obstructionist, even while protecting their turfs. There are murmurs that the BASICs forced everyone else to accept a draft negotiated behind closed doors as fait accompli, but how different was this from Kyoto—where the Annex I countries drove the entire show? At Copenhagen, the smallest of countries like Tuvalu and Maldives were given a hearing. Their special grievances found a solid window of attention.
Next, let’s acknowledge the many disappointments. Let’s begin with Tuvalu and Maldives. The Alliance of Small Island States’ head has emphasised how member countries are living on the front lines of climate change. In November, the Maldives President actually held an underwater cabinet meeting to emphasise why it wants the world’s policymakers to commit to holding the rise in global temperatures at 1.5 degrees Celsius instead of the 2 degrees commitment currently supported by the major economies and the Copenhagen Accord. But such a commitment would mean, according to the International Energy Agency, vastly deeper carbon dioxide cuts and up to $10.5 trillion extra in energy-related investment by 2030. Such largesse has simply not been on the table at Copenhagen, where even legally binding...
Next, let’s acknowledge the many disappointments. Let’s begin with Tuvalu and Maldives. The Alliance of Small Island States’ head has emphasised how member countries are living on the front lines of climate change. In November, the Maldives President actually held an underwater cabinet meeting to emphasise why it wants the world’s policymakers to commit to holding the rise in global temperatures at 1.5 degrees Celsius instead of the 2 degrees commitment currently supported by the major economies and the Copenhagen Accord. But such a commitment would mean, according to the International Energy Agency, vastly deeper carbon dioxide cuts and up to $10.5 trillion extra in energy-related investment by 2030. Such largesse has simply not been on the table at Copenhagen, where even legally binding...
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