Global civil society responds to the failure of leaders to raise ambitions for a real deal in Copenhagen.
On what was scheduled to be the last day of the Copenhagen climate talks, a diverse crowd of global civil society locked out of the negotiations sent a clear message of “Climate Shame” to Obama, Merkel, Hu, Harper, and other leaders who are most responsible for the current stalling of the negotiations.
Let’s be clear. There is one reason why climate negotiations have not moved forward in Copenhagen – the failure of the U.S. and other developed nations to support emission reduction targets and climate finance at the levels needed to avoid catastrophic climate change.
Today a UN document was leaked that stated what many climate experts have been claiming throughout Copenhagen – that the combined commitments of all nations in Copenhagen would leave the world with 3 degrees celsius of warming and 550ppm eCO2. A rise of 3C would mean up to 170 million more people suffering severe coastal floods and 550 million more at risk of hunger, according to the Stern review.
We’ve just heard that Obama has postponed his flight and is in meetings with key world leaders into the night. Let’s hope these leaders see the light and raise their ambitions in the final hours. I wouldn’t count on it. Either way, we will fight on.
