Earth Equity News

Copenhagen: A Work in Progress. By Fiona Harvey, FT, November 4, 2009. "What countries are hoping to agree at Copenhagen will not be a fully articulated international treaty in the mould of Kyoto. That must wait until next year, as there is not enough time for it to be fully worked out in December. Instead, they want to sign a binding agreement on four key points, the details of which will have to be worked out later. The four elements, as identified by the United Nations, are: developed countries to take on emissions-cutting targets for the medium term, generally defined as 2020; emerging economies will not have to pledge absolute cuts, but will have to commit to certain actions to curb the future growth of their emissions; financial assistance from rich nations to developing countries, to help them lower emissions and adapt to the effects of warming; and institutions to be set up that will govern the above. A political agreement on all of the key elements is 'doable,' insists Ed Miliband, the UK's secretary of state for energy and climate change. His optimism is echoed by other key players, including Yvo de Boer, the UN's top climate change official, and Todd Stern, the US special envoy for climate change, who says: 'There is a deal there to be done.'"