The DL on COP15

The Topic, The Drama, The Outcomes and The Next Steps Rising Out of the
UN Climate Change Conference

Assuming you haven’t been living cable-free at

the bottom of Lake Titicaca for the last two
weeks, you’ve probably heard a high-pitched,
multilingual whine of disagreement coming
from a wintry city in Denmark called
Copenhagen.
The Topic: climate change
The Whining: 192 countries debating what
needs to be done to hold global temperature
increases to 2-degrees Celsius, and limit
greenhouse gases to 350 parts per million in
the atmosphere
The DL. The 15th Conference of the Parties
(COP15) of the United Nations Framework Convention (UNFCCC) launched
earlier this December to negotiate, at the very least, a global, non-binding
agreement on how to plan for and arrest the effects of climate change. What
many wanted to call “Hopenhagen,” may be referred to for the short term, as
Flopenhagen. High hopes were squashed, non-profits were barred and no
binding agreement was signed. There was, however, talking. Well, now that’s
something …
Let’s Rewind. It was clear even in 1997 that something needed to be done about
climate change, when 37 industrialized nations and the European Community
met in Japan to sign the Kyoto Protocol. The agreement stood for a commitment
to improve climate change regulation. Understandably, smaller, developing
nations were deemed exempt from having to meet these rigorous standards -
which would have been fine if some of them hadn’t continued to grow like
steers on steroids. We like to refer to these countries as China, Brazil, South
Africa, Mexico and Korea.
 The Problem. Committing to action on climate
change costs serious dough and calls for concessions
on how you do business. The larger countries (that got
a hall pass before) are not only trying to keep their
“exempt” status, but they also want the US and other
countries to finance their future changes. Now, for
The Republic of Maldives, a series of small islands
located in the Indian Ocean sitting approximately 4.9
feet above sea level, this makes sense. But, China?
Really?! Last time we checked, we were already
borrowing money from them.
And Best Performance in a Drama Goes to … The Last 36 Hours.
While many feel the result was a big disappointment, The Copenhagen Accord
almost didn’t happen at all. By all reports, the final day of the conference had
come down to a complete deadlock of political kicking and screaming with no
hope in sight of any solution. When President Obama arrived that morning at
the Bella Center, he certainly had ideas and goals but no vote (yet) from
Congress to back them up, making it impossible for him to fully commit to any
real promises.
But he did do something that, many might say, was a home run.
He “invited himself” to a rather private tea party between Chinese Premier Wen
Jiabao, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio
Lula da Silva, and South African President Jacob Zuma – four of the five who
had previously been exempt from having the same responsibilities as the big
nations. Unable to keep the popular guy from sitting at their lunch table, these
leaders were forced to step up. Together, they pulled an all-nighter and
managed to squish out a non-binding set of “next steps” that will hopefully turn
into an international commitment by the time they all reconvene in Mexico City
next year. Amen.
Highlights of the Copenhagen Accord:
Number One: A desire by all signatories to cut greenhouse gas emissions by
the drastic levels needed to halt global temperatures (including a robust
Julie Foreman Hayes 2
Julie@funnygreen.com
323-445-2320
compromise on measurement, reporting and verification accepted by all,
including the US and China).
Number Two: The definition of “developing countries” has been shifted to
clarify that whatever funding is inevitably agreed upon will go to the “least
developed” countries, a departure from the Kyoto definition. These countries
will receive financial and logistic support in adapting to the changes necessary.
Number Three: The REDD program (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation
and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries) will pay developing countries
to protect their forests. The US has committed to $1 billion, and matched by
other countries for a total of $3.5 billion. As trees are natural CO2 vacuums,
putting a financial value on carbon-rich tropical forests like those concentrated
in Brazil and Indonesia could not only put a stop to deforestation, but also
support new, poverty level re-development. No specifics on how the program
will be implemented or how the success/failure will be monitored yet.
The Good News. All eyes are on the topic of climate change and global
warming with COP15 attracting hundreds of thousands of participants from
across the world. From delegates to non-profits, protestors to heads of state,
hundreds of thousands of people suited up, jumped on the bandwagon and
talked, talked, talked. Extra important: The nations who contribute the most to
pollution and emissions sat down face-to-face and developed a real baseline to
work from.
Next Stop. Mexico City. Perhaps a warmer location will add to the little sense
of urgency and earn us our revised Kyoto.
rhaps.

Julie Foreman Hayes 3

Julie@funnygreen.com
323-445-2320
 As a consultant, producer and writer for eco-
strategy firm, Brand Neutral, Julie Hayes creates sustainability content and
marketing materials for both in-house projects and clients. Her resume includes
work with World Wildlife Fund and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to produce the
“Lights Out” event for Earth Hour Los Angeles, in addition to playing a role in
the 2009 Opportunity Green Business Conference at UCLA. As a freelance
writer, Julie has contributed eco blog spots for Low Impact Living and Live
Earth. Julie is a regular expert contributor at Healthy Bitch Daily, and is, yet
another, bitch we adore.

Julie Foreman Hayes 4

Julie@funnygreen.com
323-445-2320