As of Wednesday morning the international treaty talks have turned chaotic and discouraging. The summary: The United States is emerging more and more as the country blocking any meaningful progress. Despite efforts by activists worldwide to highlight the importance of 350 parts per million as the only safe level of carbon in the atmosphere, the US is doing its best to persuade all nations to abandon any talk of science-based reductions and simply wants to collect all the currently weak emissions reduction pledges and just crank out a watered-down treaty most convenient for America.
The scene here at the Bella Center in Copenhagen has been tense. Hundreds of activists and delegates walked out earlier this morning to protest the restriction of access. Many leaders of American climate NGOs are either already denied access to the center or will lose access soon. It’s a disgrace. Friends of the Earth activists and others have spent the morning sitting down in protest outside the center.
Security here and throughout the city is intense. Police dogs outside the center. Coming through the airport-like x-ray machines, I was asked to demonstrate that my water bottle was not poison by taking a swallow in front of security representatives.
I’ve talked to several leaders of the climate movement — including Gillian Caldwell of 1Sky and Jessy Tolkan of Energy Action — and everyone is sort of in a mixed state of anger, panic, and sadness. How can the US be so intransigent? Obama actually telephoned the presidents of Bangladesh and Ethiopia Tuesday to basically try to charm them away from science-based demands.
Danish diplomat Connie Hedegaard, official head of these treaty talks, told delegates yesterday you can leave on Friday in “fame or shame.” Tragically, the latter looks more likely at this point, although miracles can happen.
There appears to be some progress on rainforest protection today, according to the New York Times. But the two other main issues — financing clean energy development in poor nations and rich-nation commitments to serious emissions cuts — are totally unresolved.
I think Greenpeace International best described the current situation in the press release exerpt below. Also visit www.earthbeatradio.org for my complete radio broadcast from the conference, as well as video interviews soon with Jessy Tolkan and Gillian Caldwell.
Onward,
Mike Tidwell
Director, Chesapeake Climate Action Network
Greenpeace International statement Wednesday morning from Copenhagen:
“This situation is ridiculous and unacceptable to the millions of people around the world demanding that heads of state agree a climate saving deal this week.
“The talks are still stalled – because the industrialised country Ministers appear to have left their political will at home. Lets hope their heads of state don’t forget to pack theirs” said Kaisa Kosonen, of Greenpeace International.
At the heart of the problem was the US’s insistence that governments abandon any idea of science-based, legally binding targets and instead try to simply add up any targets on the table and make that the overall outcome for the talks.
The US was also trying to toughen obligations on developing countries, whilst trying to get away with a weaker obligation on themselves.
“The US, the world’s richest country with the largest historical emissions is holding these talks hostage. If Obama doesn’t put new targets and long term finance on the table this week, he will be the leader remembered for causing a breakdown in Copenhagen and guaranteeing climate chaos,” said Damon Moglen of Greenpeace US.
