Colleagues, I'm reposting Radoslav's 10 December 2009 report from Copenhagen because it wasn't picked up by the list archive. This, I think, is because of the picture he embedded in his original message.
Sorry for the repost -- sending this to the list is the only way I can get it into the archive. Yours, MM ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Radoslav Dimitrov <radoslav.dimit...@uwo.ca> Date: Thu, Dec 10, 2009 at 8:53 AM Subject: Copenhagen highlights To: Global Environmental Politics Education ListServe < gep-ed@listserve1.allegheny.edu> Dear colleagues, Here are Copenhagen highlights excluding politically sensitive information. Photo courtesy of The Guardian. Negotiations came to a complete stalemate two hours ago. A session on KP emission reductions was cancelled altogether. The biggest fight in Copenhagen remains whether to negotiate a new single global treaty covering all nations – or renegotiate the Kyoto Protocol separate from a second agreement involving everyone. Developing countries favor keeping Kyoto in order to leave the policy burden primarily on developed countries. Most Western countries want a single new global agreement involving all major emitters (read China, India) to replace Kyoto. Japan, Russia and Canada oppose keeping Kyoto alive and want a single brand new global accord. Developing countries gave an ultimatum. They stated a discontinuation of the Kyoto Protocol would be a deal-breaker here, and left no doubt they will block any Copenhagen agreement without a second commitment period for Kyoto. Hence the current deadlock. In a major development, yesterday the developing country coalition split openly. The Alliance of Small Island States and some Latin American countries supported Tuvalu’s proposed "Copenhagen Protocol" that imposes obligations for major developing countries as well as the West. The ambitious protocol would limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees (instead of the 2 degrees supported by others) and carbon concentrations to 350 ppm (instead of 450). Civil society is ecstatic and staged massive demonstrations in support that triggered security measures. Tuvalu is their hero. Progress on 1990 as the baseline year to measure emission reductions. Global consensus on 1990, with Canada the only country against. Security is interfering with the work. On day one, security guards clashed with government delegates. Yes indeed. During the opening ceremony, security closed the Plenary Hall doors and would not allow anyone new to enter - including negotiators with government badges. Some delegates tried to physically force their way through. Security is tight. Police officers run 16-hour shifts for 14 days in a row. Some warn they are bound to snap when the real protests begin next week when 100 heads of states arrive. Regards from Denmark, Radoslav S. Dimitrov, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Political Science University of Western Ontario Social Science Centre London, Ontario Canada N6A 5C2 Tel. +1(519) 661-2111 ext. 85023 Fax +1(519) 661-3904 Email: rdimi...@uwo.ca
