Climate Crime Scene

Though climate change science and African nations most affected by global warming support limiting air temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the Copenhagen conference ended yesterday with no legally binding commitments from countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. “President Obama forged a non-binding agreement with his counterparts in China, India, Brazil and South Africa but it was unclear whether all 192 countries would accept the compromise text. Mr. Obama said that a ‘fundamental deadlock in perspectives’ had overshadowed the negotiations. He described the deal as ‘meaningful’ but admitted that it would not be enough to prevent global warming. ‘We have much further to go,’ he said. Despite two years of negotiations, the key sticking points — emissions cuts, monitoring of emissions and the legal nature of the deal — all re-emerged in the final hours.”