Copenhagen in Pictures - Time to Step Up to an Agreement (UPDATED)
Posted December 18, 2009 in Greening China, Solving Global Warming
[Update (3:25pm local time): Wen and Obama both spoke this morning and we are clearly not yet at an agreement. Wen's talk contained important language about transparency, international dialogue and cooperative exchange. Obama emphasized that "We are ready to get this done today!" Obama and Wen met for 55 minutes after their talks and apparently made progress on all three of the issues that Obama raised in his speech: mitigation, transparency and financing. The negotiators will need to head in to overtime now to hash out the details.]
We are on alert to listen to speeches from Obama, Wen and others. Today is the day to make a breakthrough. As we wrote earlier this week, the US and China have started to make positive moves to break the climate impasse (also here). The countries have literally been working around the clock (Su Wei said on Wed that he'd been up for more than 50 hours) and we expect the pay off to come today. We'll report back as soon as we hear what the leaders announce. In the meantime, here are some pictures from the past week in Copenhagen...
Protests inside Bella
Polar bears
Prince Charles
Minister Xie Zhenhua of China after the BASIC press conference with India, Brazil and South Africa
China Information & Communication Center, where crowds gathered to listen to each China press event.
Vice-Minister He Yafei speaking last Friday
US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announcing Renewables and Efficiency Deployment Initiative (Climate REDI)
Wednesday night plenary session 10:35pm - working through procedures, procedures, and more procedures...
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Ronald Klempner — Dec 23 2009 03:06 PM
Developed nation's represent the vast majority of all international markets, and should agree on a protocol among themselves which would create tariffs on all goods imported from nation's which did not meet targeted green-house gas emission goals as a way to equalize the cost advantages enjoyed by those nation's as a result of their lower-cost energy/emission policies. An international body could be established such as with all international trade matters to make rulings on the matter which would not lead to 'protectionism' beyon
Has this idea developed any support?