Sunday, October 18, 2009

50 Days Until Copenhagen

Following comments from the United States' lead negotiator for Copenhagen that it would be "extraordinarily difficult" for US to commit to carbon reductions before an agreement in Congress, Senator Boxer (D-CA) is suggesting that Obama's representatives could agree to emissions targets in December without a Congressional accord. This exchange is further evidence that strong messages from global government leaders are not being borne out yet in the negotiations room. (could delete this last sentence)

The debate over emerging countries "right to develop" will be a topic watch as world leaders continue to jockey for the high ground of public opinion and for negotiations. The likes of China and India have assumed roles as speakers for the developing world, which developed countries will be unjustly inhibiting economic development and the improvement of living standards by limiting emissions. Industrialized nations would benefit in the discourse by separating BRIC countries from other developing nations. To this point,terminology such as "economically more advanced developing countries" and "rapidly developing and increasingly wealthy polluters / countries" is creeping into media vernacular.

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