The mainstream press has been keeping a close eye on the COP15 conference in Copenhagen which was always set to generate a host of strong feelings both outside the conference hall and within.
A week into the conference and it has not failed to deliver the expected controvery. At the end of the first week an unauthorized 40,000 person demonstration yesterday led to 13 people being detained overnight.
The conference kicked off a week ago with the EU promising more money to combat global warming. The EU committed to fund 7.2 billion euro (US $10.5 billion) for tackling global warming over the next three years. The move was described by the UN climate chief as “hugely encouraging” for the climate conference process.
EU leaders also agreed to contribute 2.4 billion euro (US $3.6 billion) a year until 2012 to help poorer countries combat global warming. With the UK contributing one third of this – the average woman on the London street has however been left asking what happened to the contributions from other EU countries.
Despite the significant EU contribution, Sudan’s negotiator for the G-77 Lumumba Stanislaus Di-Aping believes the EU’s pledge to be a poor offer.
“I believe they are not only insignificant, they actually breed even more distrust on the intentions of European leaders on climate change,” said Lumumba Stanislaus Di-Aping of Sudan on Friday, according to AFP. The G-77 negotiator also criticized the EU proposal because it does not deal with the issue of setting up long-term financing mechanisms.
COP15 website reports that the need for funding to developing countries is around the 100 billion euro figure (US $150 billion) per year by 2020. The cash from developed countries is needed for adaptation to and mitigation of global warming in developing nations.
On Friday, EU leaders agreed to reduce their emissions by 30 percent from 1990 levels. A working group under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) produced a draft text on the same day. The six page document could be the start of a new global agreement to combat climate change beyond 2012, when the currently in place Kyoto agreement expires.
Outside the EU, the Russian presidential adviser stated that a new global climate change deal should take the gas rich country’s low greenhouse gas emissions in recent years into account. Meanwhile India announced a voluntary target of reducing carbon intensity by 20 to 25 percent from 2005 levels by 2020.
Fuelling COP15 controversy towards the end of the week, China’s Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei started a spat on Friday by saying he was shocked by US climate envoy Todd Stern’s comments earlier in the week that China shouldn’t expect any American public climate aid money, and that the US was not in any debt to the world for its historically high carbon emissions.
“I don’t want to say the gentleman is ignorant,” He Yafei told reporters… “I think he lacks common sense where he made such a comment vis-a-vis funds for China. Either lack of common sense or extremely irresponsible.”
China is grouped together with the developing nations in the climate talks and there has been much debate about the responsibilities of both the developed and developing world. But Stern said that when it comes to financing to help poor countries deal with climate change, the US doesn’t consider China one of the neediest countries.
On Wednesday Stern said “I don’t envision public funds, certainly not from the United States, going to China”…”China to its great credit has a dynamic economy, and sits on some two trillion dollars in reserves. So we don’t think China would be the first candidate for public funding.”
COP15 website reports The Chinese official as saying China isn’t asking for money, rather that the US and China had different responsibilities in dealing with global warming.
Finally it has been reported that 1,200 limos and 140 private jets have been used to transport ministers to COP15.
Read the full details on the COP15 website.
