A lot of skepticism has grown regarding the success of the just opened United Nations Climate Change Conference (December 7-18, 2009), more commonly called Copenhagen Climate Conference. Skeptics believe that climate agreements will not be reached during the summit.
On the other hand, chairman of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Rajendra Pachauri, says he is ‘cautiously optimistic that a treaty can still be signed’ and that ‘the global community may have to move ahead without any commitment from the United States.’ This will create a ‘small window of opportunity for the U.S. to take a little more time and come back and make its own commitments.’ Pachauri suggested that ‘one reason the U.S. Congress may feel compelled to act is that American business — particularly in the renewable energy sector — may suffer if the U.S. is left out of a global climate treaty.’
Nonetheless, ‘Pachauri expressed disappointment that the U.S. has not yet committed itself to firm greenhouse gas reduction targets,’ saying ‘one expected a lot more to have happened in the U.S. by now. During the eight years of the Bush administration there was a “complete absence of responsibility” in tackling global warming, and while the Obama administration is moving swiftly to make up lost ground, climate legislation remains bogged down in Congress.’
Via environment360
