Copenhagen Climate Treaty & Climategate
U.S., Britain Say Global Climate Deal Possible
October 18, 2009Reuters - The world can still agree a deal in December to curb greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for a warmer world, co-chairs of a meeting of major polluters in London -- Britain and the United States -- said on Sunday.
Skeptics argue a U.N. December deadline is now too tight as negotiators have so far failed to agree targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions and funds to help developing countries prepare for more extreme weather and rising seas.
But Britain and the United States pointed to moves from both developed and developing countries including India, Indonesia, Japan and China.
"You can look at that and conclude, as I do, there's a deal to be had," said Washington's top climate envoy Todd Stern, at the start of the October 18-19 talks among major polluters.The London meeting is the latest in a series of U.S.-initiated "major economies forum" (MEF) sessions, meant to support U.N. talks to agree a new pact to extend or replace the existing Kyoto Protocol at a December 7-18 meeting in Copenhagen.
"I think a deal is quite possible. There are difficulties, but on the other hand not that many elements to put together a basic deal," he said, adding he was still aiming for December.
Among proposed action, last month Indonesia said it would cut greenhouse gases by a quarter compared with current trends by 2020. Chinese premier Hu Jintao said Beijing would curb carbon emissions growth.
Japan's new government committed to a far more ambitious climate target than the previous administration.
"There are good straws in the wind," British energy and climate secretary Ed Miliband told the BBC on Sunday.But Miliband also pointed to the two biggest obstacles to a deal -- agreeing targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions by rich nations by 2020, and funds to help developing countries.
"There are also some big obstacles that have to be overcome. We need a (emissions target) number from the United States."Co-chair of the London meeting, Stern told reporters the U.S. 2020 emissions target was "pretty clear," and added a deal would "undoubtedly" include numbers on climate finance for developing countries.
But he could not confirm that the United States would offer concrete numbers for either in Copenhagen.
Under a domestic legislative process, the U.S. House of Representatives had approved a 2020 target to curb U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent compared with 2005 levels, and the Senate was considering 20 percent, he said.
U.S. President Barack Obama had previously supported 14 percent, said Stern, who acknowledged his country had to wait for Congress to establish a firm position.
"The range we're talking about is pretty clear but I'm not going to speculate, I am hopeful that things move pretty far down the track, we'll just have to see where we are when December comes around. It isn't a huge big mystery, the number."Analysts doubt Obama will sign a domestic bill by December. The U.S. offer on climate finance was also "wrapped up" in the domestic climate bill process, Stern said.
Indian environment minister Jairam Ramesh told Reuters on Friday a deal may miss the December deadline by several months. The chair of a U.N. panel of climate scientists, Rajendra Pachauri, said last week the world had the option of meeting again in mid-2010.
History of the Road to Copenhagen
October 16, 2009TckTckTck - In December, governments of the world will meet in Copenhagen to hammer out a new climate treaty that will ultimately replace the Kyoto Protocol. It's the most important meeting of our age—our best chance to radically reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming and unleash the global green economy.
Our TckTckTck partners at Pew Environment Group have put together this list of the major milestones along the road to that historic meeting. Also, check out Pew's guide to the key issues under debate at the talks. We'll be keeping you posted on what unfolds at these meetings.
June 1 to 12 — UNFCCC Climate Negotiations- Bonn, Germany
- The draft negotiating text was issued two weeks before this meeting. It contained brackets around issues under contention that have become the basis for the negotiations. The U.S. delegation arrived with an official framework submission and concrete positions on some of the critical issues.
- Mexico City, Mexico
- This meeting is likely to re-open the discussion of emissions targets and focus on reaching an agreement on technology transfer.
- L'Aquila, Italy
- Climate change has played a major role at the G8 since 2005. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has indicated that addressing climate change will be on the G8 agenda. A baseline year for a long-term goal may be set at this meeting.
- L'Aquila, Italy
- Directly following the G8, President Obama is expected to make two to three announcements aimed at freeing up the gridlock in the United Nations negotiations. It is likely that these announcements may involve financing for adaptation or technology cooperation.
- Bonn, Germany
- This is scheduled as an informal meeting, but if major developments are reached in the Major Economies process, this meeting could take on a new importance.
- New York, New York
- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, has indicated that he plans to hold a special session with heads of state to address climate change. Speeches made by heads of state will likely give some indication of their negotiating position going into Copenhagen.
- Pittsburgh, USA
- Leaders will take stock of the global economic crisis and focus their efforts on financial reform where clean economies and green jobs are likely to be embraced as solutions.
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Heading into this meeting, parties will now have had four months to review the negotiating text. Expectations will be elevated coming out of Ban Ki-moon's UN high-level summit in NY. Look for key debates to take place on contentious issues.
- Barcelona, Spain
- As the final meeting before Copenhagen, minor details that will support the larger Copenhagen agreement should be worked out at this meeting. Early indications are that this meeting will be a continuation of the September-October meetings.
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- A global treaty on climate change will be crafted to succeed the Kyoto Protocol at this meeting.
Copenhagen Treaty Will Demand American Taxpayers Buy "Dignity" for Third World
October 4, 2009Moonbattery - Anyone who doubts that the global warming hoax aggressively promoted by Chairman Zero and his comrades at the UN is a Trojan horse for world socialism need only look at this draft of the Copenhagen Climate Change Treaty produced by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change:
Successful countries are called upon to severely restrict economic activity; backwards hellholes — usually ruled by socialist tyrants — face no such restrictions. But that's not enough to guarantee equal poverty for all, so they slipped in a clause on page 122 decreeing that some countries will be expected to:
(a) Compensate for damage to the [less developed countries'] economy and also compensate for lost opportunities, resources, lives, land and dignity, as many will become environmental refugees;
(b) Africa, in the context of environmental justice, should be equitably compensated for environmental, social and economic losses arising from the implementation of response measures.
The environmental refugee business is science fiction out of an Al Gore fever dream, but the damage to our economy if we are forced to buy "opportunities, resources, lives, land and dignity" for the entire Third World with our economy shackled in pointless CO2 restrictions will be quite real. The phrase "environmental justice" is Newspeak for "spreading the wealth around" until there isn't any left to spread, while masking the injustice in sanctimonious ecofreak blather.
Liberal elitists dream of a one-world government under the thumb of which everyone but them is a half-starved, powerless peasant with zero chance of ever accomplishing anything, because anything we create will only be expropriated. The United Nations exists for a single purpose: to make this nightmare come true. Comrade Obama is on board with the program, as is every last liar in the governmedia who pays lip service to the nonexistent global warming crisis.
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