COP15 | News & Views

COP15 – More Video Highlights

Below we have listed the latest videos form the Copenhagen Summit, COP15.

Copenhagen Summit – Weekend Events Summary

activists_sunday_20091213-153012-6_web It was a busy summit weekend in Copenhagen. On Saturday environmentalists and activists rallied worldwide in favor of a global climate agreement. In Copenhagen, host city of the ongoing UN negotiations, a six-kilometer march from the parliament building to the conference venue gathered an estimated 50,000 people.

On Sunday Danish police stopped an unauthorized demonstration on a second day of street protests over climate change, as environment ministers met for informal talks to advance negotiations on a new pact.

More than 200 activists detained Sunday - Hundreds of demonstrators were outnumbered by police officers in riot gear who surrounded them. Critics blasted the Danish law that allows police to make preventative arrests, if they believe a demonstration will turn violent, and hold suspected troublemakers for up to 12 hours without a court arraignment.

968 detained in Copenhagen climate march Saturday - On Saturday, tens of thousands of people joined an overwhelmingly peaceful march in winter cold Copenhagen to demonstrate for action on climate change. 968 were detained by the police. As of Sunday morning, only a handful was still detained.
Climate negotiations change gears – With only a short “working week” to go before more than 110 heads of state and government gather Friday at the climate summit in Copenhagen, the hour of reckoning approaches with giant strides.

African Union threatens to scuttle a deal - African Union climate negotiator Meles Zenawi has sought Chinese and Indian backing if the African demands are not being taken seriously.

Bangladesh: Let the World Bank manage fund for populations at risk – The Bangladesh delegation demands allocation from any climate change adaptation fund in proportion to the percentage of its population exposed to climate change.

Scientists: Climate talks aim too low for target – The cuts in greenhouse gases offered at the 192-nation climate conference are “clearly not enough” to assure the world it will head off dangerous global warming, a key UN-affiliated scientist says.

Global activists: Seal the deal - Environmentalists from all over the world rallied in Copenhagen on Saturday to demonstrate in favor of a global climate agreement. Other cities around the globe saw demonstrations too.

COP President: Progress has been made - Negotiators have advanced on texts on how to supply new green technologies – like wind and solar power – to developing nations during the first week of Copenhagen climate talks. Progress has also been made in promoting use of forests to soak up carbon dioxide. But there are still deep splits on issues such as raising funds for developing countries and sharing out the burden of greenhouse gas emissions curbs.

Tough bargaining still ahead at UN climate talks - After one week of UN-led climate negotiations in Copenhagen, some money is finally on the table and a draft agreement has been circulated. Now the really hard bargaining begins.

India: No to peaking year - India is willing to curb its growth in carbon emissions, but stands firm on its rejection of a “peaking” year. Nor will India accept international scrutiny of voluntary domestic measures to tackle climate change, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said on Saturday.

Mexico offers voluntary emission cuts – Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Friday promised that his country will start reducing its greenhouse gases two years from now at its own expense.

G-77: EU funding “insignificant” – Lumumba Stanislaus Di-Aping of Sudan – negotiator for the G-77 – is not impressed by the EU’s pledge to fund 7.2 billion euro worth of climate aid over the next three years.

Africa considering tough demands - According to a draft text, 50 African countries are considering demanding five percent of rich nations’ GDPs for developing countries, plus deep emission cuts.

>>>Full in depth article visit COP15 and Act on Copenhagen

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Copenhagen Summit – Day 5 Summary

COP15 After two days of intense negotiations and bargaining, EU leaders gathered in Brussels agreed on funding to help poor countries cope with climate change. Meanwhile, a UN working group at the Copenhagen conference produced the first official draft for a global climate deal.

EU putting more money on the table - EU leaders say they have agreed to commit 2.4 billion euro (3.6 billion US dollars) a year until 2012 to help poorer countries combat global warming. On Friday, EU leaders also agreed to reduce their emissions by 30 percent from 1990 levels. 

Yvo de Boer: EU billions a boost to talks – The European Union’s decision to fund 7.2 billion euro for tackling global warming over the next three years is “hugely encouraging” for the climate conference process, says the UN climate chief. 

First official draft on climate deal – A key working group under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) came up with a six-page text Friday. The draft may form the core of a new global agreement to combat climate change beyond 2012, when the present framework, the Kyoto Protocol, expires. 

Russia sets conditions for climate deal – A new global climate change deal should take Russia’s low greenhouse gas emissions in recent years into account, a Russian presidential adviser insisted Friday.

Chinese official: Stern “irresponsible” – In unusually blunt language, China’s Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei said on Friday that he was “shocked” by US climate envoy Todd Stern’s comments earlier this week that China shouldn’t expect any American public climate aid money, and that the US was not in any debt to the world for its historically high carbon emissions. 

G-77 chief negotiator walked out in anger – Chief negotiator for 130 developing countries believes that the UN climate change conference “will probably be wrecked by the bad intentions of some people”.

>>>Full in depth article visit COP15 and Act on Copenhagen

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COP15 – Photo Gallery

Copenhagen Summit – Day 4 Summary

COP15 It’s day five of the negotiations and UK Ministers are starting to arrive, gearing up for the Ministerial segment of these crucial negotiations. Ed Miliband has joined the UK negotiating team and will today go into a series of bilateral meetings with key counterparts including the United States, China, South Africa and Denmark.

Yesterday the overarching plenary was suspended, but the negotiations have continued in other sessions on issues such as technology, finance, and adaptation.

As always the team at MoreEco have summarised the events of Day 4 for your.

Capping temperatures is ‘achievable’ says AVOID scientist - Carbon emissions must start to fall within the next 10 years to keep the rise in global temperatures below the 2 degree C level that would trigger environmental devastation, one of the UK Government’s leading climate scientists says.

US is determined to achieve strong agreement – Stern – The chief negotiator for the United States says that Washington is determined to get the ’strongest possible agreement’ in Copenhagen. Todd Stern said he was under no illusion that success would be easy but said that there was a strong political commitment to an agreement from the US Government.

A message from Global Agenda Council Members to World Leaders - More than 200 senior figures across business, finance and academia have called on world leaders to agree a ‘bold new deal’ to curb global warming and generate low carbon growth. The signatories, who are members of the Global Agenda Council on climate change of the World Economic Forum, an independent body, warned that climate change threatened to put ‘our very society at risk’.

Sweden pledges 800 million euro for climate change fund – Sweden says it will give 800 million euro (1.2 billion US dollars) to help developing nations fight climate change.

G-77: Personal call on President Obama - The Group of 77, representing the majority of the world’s developing countries, urges the US to join the Kyoto Protocol and commit to emission reductions comparable to those of other industrialized nations.

>>>Full in depth article visit COP15 and Act on Copenhagen

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Copenhagen Summit – Day 3 Summary

COP15 The third day of the UN climate conference in Copenhagen saw another political argument between the two biggest players – and polluters – China and the United States.

China: the US and EU must present deeper cuts – The United States and the European Union (EU) are expected by the Chinese delegation to bring more notable emission reductions targets to the Copenhagen climate talks. At a press conference Tuesday, the Deputy Head of the Chinese delegation, Su Wei (photo above), said neither the US, the EU, nor Japan had offered sufficient cuts in their greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.

US fires back at China – Statements by Su Wei, Deputy Head of the Chinese COP15 delegation, on lack of ambitions from the US were opposed by Todd Stern, President Barack Obama’s climate change envoy, as he arrived Wednesday at the conference in Copenhagen.

Developing countries split on demands – Small island states and poor African nations on Wednesday wanted the climate conference to aim at a legally binding deal tougher than the Kyoto Protocol. Richer developing countries opposed the proposal.

EPA chief: US will regulate CO2 with common sense – The United States for the first time outlined a dual path toward cutting greenhouse gases that would involve both President Barack Obama’s administration and the US Congress to reduce greenhouse emissions.

Denmark ready to pay its share – Denmark – the host country of the ongoing UN climate change conference – has put money on the table for adaptation to climate change in developing countries.

COP15 Video Highlights – Watch highlights from day 3 of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 (COP15) – recorded on December 9, 2009.

DECC Delegate Update -DECC delegate gives an update from day three of the Copenhagen negotiations

>>> Source & full articles visit COP15 website

Copenhagen Summit – Day 2 Summary

COP15 Day 2 of the United Nations climate talks in Copehagen is underway. The UK continues to push for a global agreement that’s ambitious, effective and fair. Thanks for backing the bid and helping us secure the 2 degree deal.

US announcement - The US Government has declared carbon dioxide a ‘toxic’ gas that endangers public health in a judgement that gives the Obama administration a legal basis for capping harmful emissions.

The ruling will allow the agency to regulate planet-warming gases even without legislation in Congress. Under existing laws the agency could begin to make rules as soon as next year to regulate emissions from vehicle exhausts, power utilities and heavy industry.

Ed’s Copenhagen send-off - Ed Miliband is taking part in a public meeting today in Manchester, jointly organised with Manchester Friends of the Earth. This will be Ed’s last public event before he travels to Copenhagen.

Coinciding with the launch of Manchester’s climate change action plan, the event will include speakers such as The Guardian’s John Harris and Friends of the Earth’s Campaigns director Mike Childs.

EU committed to move to 30% - The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have made a public push for the European Union to commit to deeper cuts in carbon emissions in a bid to strike an ambitious deal on climate change in Copenhagen.

Gordon Brown urged EU leaders to raise its offer on cuts in carbon emissions to 30% by 2020 compared with 1990, compared with its current pledge of a 20% reduction.

DoThe GreenThings Video - As the Copenhagen Summit is our climate’s last chance saloon, it would help if we all understood what’s got to happen there. To make that simple, Green Thing has produced a Quick Recipe for a Successful Copenhagen with diplomacy illustrated through the medium of cookery. Watch it. Share it. Don’t try to cook it. And remember, as Chef says: “It does not have to be pretty, it just has to work.”

Last decade warmest on record, says Met Office – The last 10 years have been ‘by far’ the warmest decade the world has experienced since modern records began, the UK’s Met Office announced in Copenhagen on 8 December. It said the figures showed that the world continues to see global temperature rise most of which is due to increasing emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. It added that the data clearly show that the argument that global warming has stopped is flawed.

Melting ice bear sculpture sends ‘powerful climate message’ – It is the powerful metaphor for man-made climate change. Artist Mark Coreth is sculpting a Polar bear out of ice which will slowly melt as negotiators work towards a global climate change deal in Copenhagen.

“Danish text” raises furore – According to The Guardian, developing countries “react furiously” after a draft text allegedly written by the UN conference’s host country was leaked Tuesday.

Top UN scientist: What Climategate? In harsh wording Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the IPCC, defends British colleagues whose hacked emails have ignited debate over the credibility of mainstream climate science.

The Impact of Global Temperature Rise – Interactive Map

The impacts of climate change will be widespread across the globe. In order to understand more about what the human impact of high-end climate change might be, and therefore what would happen if a successful agreement can not be reached at Copenhagen, the UK’s Met Office Hadley Centre has produced a map outlining some of the impacts that may occur if the global average temperature rises by 4 °C (7 °F) above the pre-industrial climate average. The map represents the latest peer-reviewed science on the impacts.

Using the map: This interactive version of the 4 degree map allows you to select which impacts you want to see, zoom on specific geographies and access more information about the science behind the map.