Two Weeks to Copenhagen
In two weeks, representatives from 192 countries will assemble in Copenhagen for the purpose of setting global limits on carbon emissions. COP15, the official name of the climate change summit, referencing the 15th Conference of the Parties under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), consists of environmental ministers who meet annually. The goal of the Copenhagen summit is “to secure binding emissions targets and overcome the division between the developed and developing world.” Apparently, despite high hopes among proponents, it appears unlikely that a deal will be reached this year.
World leaders have confirmed that time has run out to secure a legally binding agreement at the COP15. However, the United States and Britain hope to at least hammer out an outline of the commitments to be put in place rather than postpone the formulation of a plan for an entire year.
So what's behind the delay? Certainly the global economic turmoil makes it difficult for politicians to agree to changes that would at least in the short term cause even further job dislocations. More significant perhaps is an apparent waning of public interest in the issue of global warming/climate change.
Recent polling has shown a marked decrease in both the belief that climate change is occurring and that such change is due to human agency. What's behind this significant change in public opinion? Over at Yale Environment 360 you'll find an excellent article addressing the concern that years of increasingly dire climate predictions have resulted not in more widespread and more confidently held belief in human-caused climate change but rather "apocalypse fatigue".
