Thursday, December 24, 2009

The second-last day of the COP15

Really, what the hell is happening?
There is a volatile tussle between hope and pessimism. At one point, everyone literally declares the negotiations staring at failure. Just now, Hillary Clinton opens the American purse, and we have everyone foxed. Confused about how to handle COP15 tomorrow, when 119 world leaders would be expected to convene.
Amidst all this political hullabaloo and drama, seriously, the humanitarian fight against climate change has been lost. 
Whilst China & India want the developed world to take greater, more fulfilling responsibility, the 100 billion dollar lollipop has surely brought about severe confusion. All this on the eve of the final day. However top climate-change economists welcome the move. Yet, the G-77 delegates spill blood when another of their delegates appreciates the American approach. A point though, if the Americans were so willing to bring about solution, why come up with this game-changing move on the last day? Had this been depicted a little earlier, the negotiations would have been sitting pretty! (also, there is no clear domestic framework on climate change in the US!)
Some reports suggest that President Obama will take the US-Russia nuclear deal up with his Russian counterpart on the last day. Jairam Ramesh, the minister leading the Indian delegation at COP15, says that one positive outcome from the COP15 has been the strengthening of Indo-Chinese ties. The G-77, on the other hand, is demanding a trillion dollars. Seriously, is this the work of our leaders? (We could go into another debate on this one. . .) And to top this all, observer organizations have been kicked out to another part of Copenhagen. Weird battles seem to be raging between protesters and the police. Yvo De Boer loses his cool while talking to the chosen people's committee at the Bella Center. 
This has long been predicted, that Copenhagen won't produce a legally binding treaty. But until recently, the mood with which the negotiations were carried out seemed to show that even reaching any sort of a political accord wouldn't be a possibility. That has, with the American move, changed. 
So essentially, as one of the reporters exclaimed on BBC, nothing is sure. 
Yet, if tomorrow goes well. All this criticism showered on negotiators will evaporate. All is well, that ends well. PS. the purpose of this note - to let out the pent up frustration on the confusion and shameful politicization of the whole issue!

1 comment:

  1. hmm. wowie. I had no clue all this was happening.

    What man. WHY? I wish the world wasn't so complicated. :(

    ReplyDelete