Copenhagen: Failure Repeats Itself

You have probably heard of the Kyoto Protocol. The 1997 document from the environmental summit in Kyoto, Japan. Nations around the world pledged to lower carbon emissions, drafted a solution, and even ratified it. Seems like quite a....failure. Kyoto has not been implemented. Nations just don't seem to care about the environment in the face of more pressing issues. Summits are fine and all, but in the end, nations just disregard them. Which is why Copenhagen 2009, the new summit aiming at replacing Kyoto and finding new environmental solutions, will be a repeat of the failure that was Kyoto. Copenhagen is another example of these countless summits and conferences held to solve world issues and publicize it. When people want real work to get done, they meet secretly. Our founding fathers did and we got the Constitution. So why is Copenhagen a huge media buzz with cameras and notepads all over? It's a feel good scam, and nothing less. Nations who publicize their international "cooperation" feel as if they have accomplished some great feat of diplomacy when, in fact, they have accomplished nothing. Results is what we want to see, but unfortunately, we wont be seeing much during Copenhagen.

Here is a brief expectations/outcomes kind of PMI.

Goals

• How much are the industrialized countries willing to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases?
• How much are major developing countries such as China and India willing to do to limit the growth of their emissions?
• How is the help needed by developing countries to engage in reducing their emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change going to be financed?
• How is that money going to be managed?

Plus

• Promoting transparency-the conference will allow nations to review each others progress and learn from it
• Funds-one goal the conference will achieve is a plan for the propagation and the appropriation of funds to battle climate change
• Senate communication-Copenhagen's US delegation has a strong Senate presence, which will only help when the new treaty comes to the floor
• Climate progress report-allows for new, official information to be recorded to measure the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of Kyoto and past efforts

Minus

• Lack of feasibility-replacing a useless treaty with another one is a waste of time. Unlike past treaties, there is now way that the treaty can be improved due to lack of UN power.
• One can bring down the rest-Many nations can sign this treaty, but without the US, China and India on board, this treaty is useless.
• Other pressing issues-Nations dont have time to deal with the climate while their economy is failing (Money is green, too)
• Incentives?-lack of incentives will ensure that nations won't enforce Copenhagen policies.
• Time crunch-not enough time to draft a comprehensive treaty, let alone time to lobby and communicate with national legislatures to discuss feasibility

(Source: http://en.cop15.dk/news/view+news?newsid=876)