2009 has been a critical year in the international effort to address climate change, one that will end with a major UN conference in Copenhagen (December 8-17). The conference’s aim is to reach a global agreement to tackle climate change in light of the fact that the current Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.
As UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reinforced at the G8 Summit: “We must seal the deal in Copenhagen for a global agreement which can address climate change issues.” In context of the same, the G8 Summit declaration reiterates the participating countries willingness to share the goal of achieving at least a 50 per cent reduction of global emissions by 2050. Also, at the recent UN general assembly meeting, China announced its commitment to curb carbon emissions and invest in green energy.
Paying attention to the various talks taking place across the world at the highest levels, the threat posed by climate change cannot be made clearer. The path forward, however, is not so clear. How much are industrialized countries willing to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases? How is the help needed by developing countries, to reduce their emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change, going to be financed?
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