As predicted, talks at the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit are being impeded by the great divide between rich and poor nations.
A boycott, led by African representatives and supported by China and India, effectively halted talks Monday, with developing nations refusing to participate until wealthy nations discussed much greater reductions in their GHG emissions.
With poor countries pointing fingers at rich countries, and rich ones worrying about the financial and economic repercussions of reducing emissions, a stalemate ensued, with demands from developing nations that conference president Connie Hedegaard of Denmark bring their concerns to the top of the agenda.
The bickering is hindering progress, with time remaining for the conference fast running out. Kim Carstensen of the World Wildlife Fund concedes, “I don’t think the talks are falling apart, but we’re losing time.”
Over 100 world leaders, including U.S. President Obama, are expected to arrive shortly in Copenhagen as the talks enter their second and last week. The timing of the boycott makes it seem as though it’s part of a ploy to shift responsibility to industrial countries, as these leaders begin arriving Tuesday.
At the core of the dispute is the rumor that the current conference would deal a deathblow to the Kyoto Protocol, which puts the onus on wealthy countries to reduce emissions or else face stiff penalties, while developing nations like China and India, albeit major greenhouse gas emitters, are not required to take action.
Some remain optimistic that a deal can be reached, such as Canada’s Environment Minister, Jim Prentice. “We’re hopeful that we can reach, essentially, an agreement in principle, which could then be translated into a full international treaty in the subsequent year 2010,” Prentice said. Others see no such agreement in sight. Satisfying the demands of self-serving nations, both rich and poor, may prove to be a hurdle too great to overcome in the time remaining at Copenhagen.
