Copenhagen: A Pending Weak Agreement
Here’s what everyone’s been waiting for: the Copenhagen climate deal. It still hasn’t been voted on by the delegates and it’s about as weak as could be coming out of a negotiation process that’s been filled with controversy, stalemates and political posturing. But the White House and President Obama have just announced that a Copenhagen Accord has been reached. Obama said because of weather issues, he’s leaving Copenhagen before the official vote.
According to the New York Times’ analysis of the accord, the document leaves out a call for a binding agreement in 2010, doesn’t set midterm targets for developed nations, only a commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050, and leaves out many other specifics. All in all it seems like a document that does little in the way of setting hard emissions targets for countries and that will need much more negotiations. But yep, it’s an agreement. Initial reactions from 350.org’s Bill McKibben are angry about the U.S. jumping the gun:
This is a declaration that small and poor countries don’t matter, that international civil society doesn’t matter, and that serious limits on carbon don’t matter. The president has wrecked the UN and he’s wrecked the possibility of a tough plan to control global warming. It may get Obama a reputation as a tough American leader, but it’s at the expense of everything progressives have held dear. 189 countries have been left powerless, and the foxes now guard the carbon henhouse without any oversight.
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Earth Day – Reuseable Bags, Grocery Bags, Totes, cotton bags
Earth Day 2010 all people, regardless of race, gender, income, or geography, have a moral right to a healthy, sustainable environment. Our mission is to broaden and diversify the environmental movement worldwide, and to mobilize it as the most effective vehicle for promoting a healthy, sustainable environment. We at Crafts and Creations encourage registered charities eco-friendly cotton canvas fabric bags / totes at no profit no loss basis
We wish to encourage Teachers, Schools, Universities and Churches to promote this campaign across the world. Each one of us have to strive to create a healthy and sustainable environment and inform the public about the environmental issues – locally, nationally and globally.
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A beginning is the most hopeful word you could use for the unsuccessful Copenhagen Accords. With no one voting to adopt the resolutions, and no strong consensus about how to make the accords binding it’s hard to know how much international collaboration will come out of the conference. But even if there’s no international movement, you can work to set national and state standards in your community.
If you’re interested in energy standards, check out http://www.greencollareconomy.com. It has hundreds of case studies on emerging green technology and emissions standards. It’s also the largest b2b green directory on the web.