Countries Hedging Emissions Reduction Promises As Climate Leaders Shift Positions

The fallout from Copenhagen’s disastrous Climate Change Conference continues. Countries are now formally sending the United Nations their hedged promises to limit greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, new meetings are being planned for the Spring, and there are plenty of climate leaders changing jobs.

All are hedging their promises to some extent, with the largest and most powerful among them being the United States, European Union, China, and India.

Source: http://blogs.fortlewis.edu/greenfreedom/2009/11/04/copenhagen-protocol

Among the developed countries, the U.S. plans to work to reduce emissions to 17 percent below 2005 levels in 2020, “in conformity with anticipated U.S. energy and climate legislation,” according to the U.S. State Department’s Office of the Special Envoy for Climate Change.

The European Union, as part of its own formal statement to the U.N., said that, “As part of a global and comprehensive agreement for the period beyond 2012, the EU reiterates its conditional offer to move to a 30 percent reduction by 2020 compared to 1990 levels, provided that other developed countries commit themselves to comparable emission(s) reductions and that developing countries contribute adequately according to their responsibilities and respective capabilities.”

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Major Industrial Nations Criticized for Setting Weak Emissions Reductions Goals

Image courtesy of GreenRoofOffsets.co.uk.

As the world approaches the much anticipated Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen next month, European environmental leaders are expressing disappointment with countries such as the United States, Canada, Ukraine, and Russia.

“If industrialized countries are unwilling to do their bit, we can’t expect others to do theirs. We are calling upon developing countries to follow the European example in reducing emissions by pledging to cut them by 30 percent by 2020,” said Environmental Commissioner Stavros Dimas to the members of the European Parliament in an address earlier this week, discussing anticipated challenges in Copenhagen.

Mr. Dimas highlighted the following three major challenges that he expects will arise during the conference.

• How to lower emissions in industrialized economies.
• How to guarantee that developing countries accept ambitious goals for emissions reductions.
• Where to find the necessary funding to help developing countries meet the targets.

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