‘Copenhagen is Hopelesshagen’

“Copenhagen should be renamed Hopelesshagen.”  This is what one of the CEE representatives said during a live audio session organised at the institution campus. Some 20 students participated in the session, which was organised to enlighten students in the city about the world meet on climate change being held at Copenhagen.

The aim was to find a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. The Copenhagen meet, as the representative pointed out, has turned into a passing game wherein developed countries are refusing to take up any responsibility till developing countries do not pledge commitment. 

Under the Kyoto Protocol, all the developed nations that ratified the treaty, except the US, agreed to cut their carbon emissions to 5 per cent below 1990 levels by 2012. The successor treaty, to be agreed at Copenhagen, was intended to secure a cut in global emissions, from the developed and developing worlds alike, of 50 per cent below 1990 levels by 2050. This will lead to more or less total decarbonisation of the world by the end of the century.

“The reason why developed countries use carbon-based energy is that it is the cheapest source of energy, and is likely to remain so in the future as well. Switching to a much more expensive energy may be acceptable to the developed world, but not to the developing countries, where millions of people still suffer from abject poverty. The priority therefore is to use the cheapest available form of energy, which is carbon-based energy” said a student at the conference.

“I doubt if the objective of the meeting will be achieved. I am nevertheless sure that the meeting will still be deemed successful. I believe that minimising the cost of necessary emissions cuts and containing the disruption will require setting the right price for carbon emissions; it must be high, and the same everywhere. With the Indian negotiators joining on Tuesday, we still hope the differences emerging in country positions will be harmonised and confidence regained,” said Mahesh Pandya, director, Paryavaran Mitra, a city-based NGO.

The positive coming out from the Copenhagen meet is the joining of political heads at the summit in its final deliberations. “I had been looking forward to the Copenhagen conference since the objective is to achieve a legally binding agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions. But, now I have strong doubts about how much can be achieved and how any agreement would be implemented,” said Maitry Contractor, a student.

Rajendra Pachauri from the International Panel on Climate Change, highlighted the importance of taking action on time. “It is very evident that the world will benefit immensely  from early action.”