The Copenhagen Discord

COP15 has at last come to an end. COP stands for Conference of Parties and not Copenhagen. This is the 15th UN Climate Change Conference. According to estimates proferred jointly by the UN and Deloitte, this event (or non-event?) generated 46200 tonnes of carbon-di-oxide. This is what about 0.6 million Ethiopians produce in a year! What did this meet achieve?

There is a non-binding statement of non-quantified intentions. President Obama has again proved that he is more articulate than George Bush. Following comments which have appeared in the media express deep disappointment:

Tuvalu's chief negotiator Ian Fry :"It looks like we are being offered 30 pieces of silver to betray our people and sell our future". (Tuvalu is the third least populated sovereign state in the world. It is a collection of islands in the Pacific ocean. Global warming and consequent rise in sea level will sink this nation without a trace.)

Greenpeace says,"The deal is not ambitious, not legally binding and likely to put the world on a path to atleast a 3 degree Celsius temperature rise. The Indian government's attitude to climate change this year showed that it is willing to shoulder responsibility and be a global player on climate action. The prime minister had gone to Copenhagen from a position of strength only to squander it to a near-farcical accord and a weak outcome. He failed India and the world when he let the U.S. and developed countries off the hook." Very strong words indeed.