Talking Point

In December this year, the Danish capital city Copenhagen will be at the centre stage of world attention. The city will host the United Nations Climate Change Conference during 07-18 of the month. Called the COP15, the fifteenth annual Conference of the Parties, the meet will have delegates from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) parties, to deliberate and collectively respond to the challenges facing the humanity today, due to climate change.

The conference, assumes crucial significance this time as climate realities are at a perilous stage with the mankind standing at the crossroad. This is an opportunity to take a new pledge after the commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol on emissions targets expires in 2012.

In a multi part series, we attempt to capture the key essentials of this global effort.

Climate recovery: By now, there is enough scientific evidence that climate change presents grave global risks, the cost of inaction is huge and it demands an urgent world attention. Many of the ill effects of global warming have been well documented; it is the precise extent that is a matter of debate.

Regarded as one of the significant authoritative work in assessment of the effect of global warming on world economy, The Stern Review: The Economics of Climate Change by economist Nicholas Stern, states:

• The scientific evidence points to increasing risks of serious, irreversible impacts from climate change associated with business-as-usual (BAU) paths for emissions.
• The benefits of strong, early action on climate change considerably outweigh the costs
  • Mitigation, taking strong action to reduce emissions must be viewed as an investment
  • The GDP bill for green investment predicted in the report is 1% of global GDP per annum, later in June 2008, estimated to 2% to account for faster than expected climate change.
• An effective response to climate change will depend on creating the conditions for international collective action.

Road to redemption: In a global issue like climate crisis, building and sustaining collective world action is an urgent challenge. The COP15 summit is therefore of monumental importance – in providing a world forum for all the UNFCCC parties to convene, deliberate and attempt to agree on a fair climate deal framework for the well being of the earth and its mankind.

Notwithstanding the deep socio-political divide between the industrialised, developed nations and the G77 grouping of developing countries, a platform of uniform shared vision of essentials has to be reached as the primary goal in the summit, followed by the finer nuances. Between the participating countries / blocs, there are vexing counter issues like; the developed nation’s climate debt to the developing world and therefore of compensation pay offs, transfer of technology and finance, on the other hand that the emerging economies are also now part of the top emitters list, will make the negotiations complex.

It however remains uppermost that this crisis needs a global, collaborative response to share challenges and every country / group / bloc ought to agree and chip in to mitigate and adapt to climate change actions. Any standoff between the blocs leading to a breakdown in talk is no option. The countries / blocs will have to be accommodative in working out an agreement in the common and larger global interest.

It is through acts of prudence and commitment, the participating countries can expect to reach global harmony for a low carbon action charter.

Let’s all unite to wish COP15 endeavours success to safeguard our earth, its fellow people and other living objects.

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