| The world is abuzz with ‘can do’ fervor in | | | | reduced emissions. |
| the run up to the Copenhagen Climate Summit. A | | | | China has announced that it would cut CO2 emissions |
| summit so important – as per the believers – | | | | per unit of gross domestic product by 40 to 45 |
| that the very future of our world is at stake when | | | | percent by 2020 compared with levels in 2005, as |
| heads of states from 85 countries meet this winter. | | | | part of its contribution to the fight against global |
| Prime Minister Gordon Brown from Great Britain puts | | | | warming. |
| fuel into the fire and states a warning before the | | | | The US, on the other hand, is considering reducing its |
| Climate Summit starting on December 7th 2009. | | | | carbon emissions by 17 percent by 2020. The US also |
| The purpose of the Copenhagen Summit in | | | | aims for a 30 percent emission reduction from 2005 |
| December is to continue and improve the existing | | | | levels by 2025, and a 42 percent reduction by 2030. |
| Kyoto agreement from 1997, which ends in 2012. | | | | Similarly, India has expressed its willingness to sign on |
| Despite the 1997 Kyoto Protocol's status as the | | | | to an ambitious global target for emission reduction |
| flagship of the fight against climate change, it has | | | | with equitable burden sharing, and could consider |
| been a failure in the hard, expensive work of actually | | | | voluntarily reducing its carbon intensity by 20-25% on |
| reducing greenhouse gas emissions. | | | | a purely domestic level. |
| Delegations from 192 countries will gather at the Bella | | | | More than 15,000 officials from 192 countries are |
| Centre in Copenhagen, Denmark for the United | | | | expected to attend, among them leaders of |
| Nations Climate Change Conference to discuss the | | | | Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, |
| issue of climate change and find long-term solutions | | | | Spain, UK, and the United States. Top leaders from |
| to fight its consequences. The conference, which is | | | | developing countries like India and China are also |
| being held from December 7 to 18, 2009, includes the | | | | expected to attend the summit. |
| 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the | | | | With China and the US pledging to cut their carbon |
| United Nations Framework Convention on Climate | | | | emissions, governments and environmentalists are |
| Change and the 5th Meeting of the Parties (COP | | | | confident about agreeing to a new comprehensive |
| MOP 5) to the Kyoto Protocol. The key objective of | | | | global climate change treaty. There is a hope that |
| the conference is to agree to a framework for | | | | many developing countries would follow in the US and |
| climate change mitigation beyond 2012. | | | | China’s footsteps in announcing emissions |
| The main Agenda of this Copenhagen summit 2009 is | | | | reduction targets. It is also a challenge for the |
| emission targets of industrialized countries, emission | | | | industrialized nations to set a substantial quantitative |
| cuts of major developing countries and financing of | | | | reduction targets during the Summit. |