What Happens After Copenhagen?

The 2009 UN Climate Change Conference, known as Copenhagen Summit, was held from Dec. 7 – Dec. 18. The conference included the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 15) and the 5th Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. The main goal of the summit was to get nations to consent on an ambitious agreement that would help tackle the challenges posed by climate change. Other goals of the summit were to achieve a greater compromise from the largest CO2 polluters towards reducing emissions on a determined period of time trying to go beyond disputes.

Discussions for over a week resulted in the Copenhagen Accord, drafted by the U.S., China, India, Brazil and South Africa on Dec. 18. Reports on the Accord negotiations highlighted that the agreement was "recognized" in different discussions and debates by the 193 nations at the Copenhagen Summit, but the Accord did not reach unanimous support for its approval. Climate activists and developing countries voiced their disappointment with the Accord since it contains no reference to a legally binding agreement. However, UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon urged all governments to formally sign the Copenhagen accord to keep momentum with discussion on the topic. The U.S. President Barack Obama and Great Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown considered the agreement a breakthrough and the foundation for international action in the years to come on climate change.

Challenges for the future
Emma Duncan for the Economist argued that the problem is not a technological one, but dealing with the costs and the politics of climate change is another story.

“Climate change is the hardest political problem the world has ever had to deal with…the issue is the difficulty of allocating the cost of collective action and trusting other parties to bear their share of the burden. At a city, state and national level, institutions that can resolve such problems have been built up over the centuries. But climate change has been a worldwide worry for only a couple of decades.”

A report from the same publication mentioned that the main issue with mitigating climate change is that the benefits are uncertain and distant. “Compared with investments that deliver clear benefits in the near future—such as education in developing countries, for instance, which commonly produces returns of around 10% a year—they do not look worthwhile. Conventional analysis would therefore suggest that those who want to make the planet a better place should invest in schools in Malawi rather than in clean energy.”

Supporters of the Summit thought that Copenhagen was a positive step towards making a difference since it offered opportunities to discuss ways to compromise on emissions levels and costs. Furthermore, countries, rich and poor, recognized that climate change will be one of the greatest challenges to face in years to come. German Prime Minister Angela Merkel said “The Copenhagen Summit is a first step toward a new world climate order, nothing more but also nothing less…"

The Dallas Regional Chamber’s International Business Council does not have a position on this issue; however we monitor events of importance in the International media. For more information on this article please contact Anakarina Piña at apina@dallaschamber.org or at
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