So Obama has finally arrived and is heading for a plenary meeting. There will be many twists and turns before the end of the day – with talks of deals being on and deals being off, but if this conference is to succeed Obama holds the key. But many do not seem that optimistic. Fredrik … Read More
Month: December 2009
China: “Virtually no Possibility” of Climate Deal
Cometh the hour, the saying goes, cometh the man. But with just today and tomorrow to go in Copenhagen, the main man – the one who can make or break this Summit – President Obama, is not even here yet. After years of international meetings – from Bali to Bangkok to Bonn – Obama will … Read More
Three Days to Secure a FAB Deal
Slowly but surely the politicians are arriving in Copenhagen for the last few days of talks. As they sound the bell of urgency, the talks remained stalled. Yesterday Yvo de Boer, the head of negotiations, admitted things are moving “too slowly”. That’s diplomatic speak for at the moment things are a complete disaster. With more … Read More
Its Business As Usual for Exxon
Don’t you just love it? As some 45,000 people – from governments, to business to NGOs talk about climate change and how to tackle it, the oil boys just get on with business, regardless of any outcome. Exxon has just made the largest play in the energy market for four years, and no – its … Read More
“We are getting close to midnight”
So the second week begins and it’s not looking good at all. The Times newspaper reports that key decisions could be delayed for up to six years if the Copenhagen summit delivers a compromise deal. The paper says that world leaders might only agree to reviewing cuts in 2015 or 2016.
“Spend as much on climate change as war”
When the Nobel Peace Prize committee decided earlier this year to award the prize to President Obama, they could not have envisaged that it would be in the same month as he sent 30,000 more troops to war. Giving the peace prize to the Commander in Chief of American forces involved in two brutal and … Read More
Hypocrisy and Contradictions at the COP
Oh the hypocrisy. Today is the day that President Obama receives the Nobel Peace Prize, with many arguing that he is yet to bring peace. Today is also the day that Obama’s Interior Secretary, Ken Salazar will address the Copenhagen conference hours after approving oil giant Shell’s highly controversial plans to drill for oil off … Read More
“The cost of inaction? The extinction of the human race. Period”
And so the Copenhagen sub-plots begin to unravel. At the start of the Conference, rumours were swirling around Copenhagen of a dangerous sub text which miraculously was leaked to the Guardian sometime yesterday, provoking outrage from developing countries, development and environmental groups.
Republican Outrage at EPA Move to Regulate CO2
Talk about sending mixed messages to the Copenhagen talks. Yesterday, Steve blogged about how one Obama government agency – the Import -Export Bank had approved $3 billion for an Exxon gas project. The move was a clear sop to the fossil fuel industry. Hours later, the Obama Administration said it would regulate greenhouse gases, a … Read More
As Copenhagen begins, Obama Approves $3 Billion for Exxon
Undermining its own credibility in Copenhagen and the integrity of its pledge to phase out support for fossil fuels, an agency of the Obama Administration, the United States Export-Import Bank, has reportedly approved $3 billion in financing for an Exxon led consortium constructing a liquefied natural gas plant on Papua New Guinea. The Obama Administration … Read More
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