In the weeks and months leading up to the United Nations summit on climate change there has been widespread dissent about just how effective these meetings will be. While some environmental groups have said that this summit can and should be the defining moment in the world’s battle against climate change, others have expressed pessimism that anything will get done. Politicians have spoken with both their words and actions as many expressed doubt prior to the event that the world would be able to come to a binding resolution about carbon emissions. And in clear example of actions speaking louder than words, over two hundred private jets were chartered for the event along with thousands of limos, which shows exactly how little many of the world’s leaders are committed to real change.
The Copenhagen Accord, which is the agreement reached in the final hours of the summit, is also getting mixed reviews as some are hailing it as a major achievement while others say the agreement is seriously lacking. Of course, the biggest supporters of the Accord were Barack Obama and Gordon Brown, the two men with more to gain or lose than any others involved with the summit. Both say the agreement is a major achievement although they admit that it is lacking in some areas.
The main sticking point for the summit was whether or not the scientific evidence backing a 2C rise in temperatures as a goal was good or tainted. Another point of contention was how much richer nations would help out developing countries in reducing carbon emissions.
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