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Copenhagen opens with warning to leaders
AP Last updated 23:44 07/12/2009

United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009
REUTERS

The largest and most important UN climate change conference in history opened Monday, with diplomats from 192 nations warned that this could be the best, last chance for a deal to protect the world from calamitous global warming.

The conference, the climax of two years of contentious negotiations, convened in an upbeat mood after a series of promises by rich and emerging economies to curb their greenhouse gases, but with major issues yet to be resolved.

Conference president Connie Hedegaard said the key to an agreement is finding a way to raise and channel public and private financing to poor countries for years to come to help them fight the effects of climate change.

Hedegaard - Denmark's former climate minister - said if governments miss their chance at the Copenhagen summit, a better opportunity may never come.

"This is our chance. If we miss it, it could take years before we got a new and better one. If ever," she said in prepared remarks.

Denmark's prime minister said 110 heads of state and government will attend the final days of the two-week conference. President Barack Obama's decision to attend the end of the conference, not the middle, was taken as a signal that an agreement was getting closer.

At stake is a deal that aims to wean the world away from fossil fuels and other pollutants to greener sources of energy, and to transfer hundreds of billions of dollars from rich to poor countries every year over decades to help them adapt to climate change.

Scientists say without such an agreement, the Earth will face the consequences of ever-rising temperatures, leading to the extinction of plant and animal species, the flooding of coastal cities - about half of humanity lives with 100 miles (160.9 kilometres) (160 kilometers) of a coastline - more extreme weather events, drought and the spread of diseases.

Negotiations have dragged on for two years, only recently showing signs of breakthroughs with new commitments from The United States, China and India to control greenhouse gas emissions.

The first week of the conference will be focused on refining a complex text of a draft treaty. But major decisions will await the arrival next week of environment ministers and the heads of state in the final days of the conference, which is due to end Dec. 18.

Among those decisions is a proposed fund of $US10 ($NZ13.6) billion each year for the next three years for poor countries prepare climate change strategies. After that, hundreds of billions of dollars will be needed every year to set the world on a new energy path and adapt to new climates.

"The deal, that we invite leaders to sign up on, will be one that affects all aspects of society just as the changing climate does," said Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen. "Negotiators cannot do this alone, nor can politicians. The ultimate responsibility rests with the citizens of the world, who will ultimately bear the fatal consequences, if we fail to act."

A study released by the UN Environment Program Sunday indicated that pledges by industrial countries and major emerging nations fall just short of the reductions of greenhouse gas emissions that scientists have said are needed.

Environmentalists have warned that emissions commitments were dangerously short of what UN scientists have said were needed to keep average temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees C (3.6 F).

Quoted from aquamonkey

What sort of Co2 emissions were put out getting all these world leaders and other reps into place. I'm guessing they didn't planeshare! heaven forbid they all send their lackeys out to buy them a video phone!

Quoted from 122

   ...that would just slow them down more, and give them more excuses!!!  

Quoted from LB

More so caused by all the hot air the Politicians produce talking about it

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The University of Adelaide professor did not make it inside the official climate conference venue, instead giving his speech to a rival conference organised by a US lobby group in central Copenhagen.

"Heretics are not allowed," he said of the UN conference.

He told the rival conference he remembered summers when he was a child being much warmer and said at the moment it was freezing in Perth and bucketing down.

Quoted from aquamonkey

Not the first controversy Plimer has caused but he's no 'crackpot' and unlike many he hasn't been brainwashed.

Are you saying that a noted geologist he wouldn't be looking at the correct details? You failed to mention his field of study in your little quote box.

See unlike "climate change experts" who study a pseudo science, geologists climate and chemistry changes over 100's of millions of years, not satellite based rain and temperature recording from the past 40 years.

It's a wonder the article was published given anyone who isn't a true believer is pretty much burned at the stake these days!

Quoted from 122

Currently we've already had several spells of around 38 degree days and another coming this weekend.

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THE Prime Minister has blamed the states for Australia's plus-sized delegation to a world summit on climate change in Copenhagen.

The Australian team at the UN climate summit in Copenhagen could number 114, according to official documents reported on in The Australian.

The delegation could include Kevin Rudd's official photographer, seven media advisers, 29 staff from the climate change department along with staff from six other federal departments or agencies, according to the list.

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Copenhagen may fail, Kevin Rudd warns

PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd has arrived in Copenhagen and warned the high-profile UN climate summit may fail as Al Gore, President Barack Obama and Ban-ki Moon make their forecasts.

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Time to scrap Rudd climate plan - academics A COALITION of academics who doubt the science on the causes of climate change has called on the Rudd Government to dump plans for an emissions trading scheme and consider alternatives.

Their call comes as a Nielsen poll, published in Fairfax newspapers today, shows Australians prefer the federal coalition's climate action policy.

Of those polled, 45 per cent favoured the Opposition's direct action emissions fund over the 39 per cent who backed Labor's carbon pollution reduction scheme.

The Australian Climate Science Coalition believes the Government is losing the political high ground on global warming.

"The debacle in Copenhagen demonstrated the futility of Australia adopting a go-it-alone strategy,'' executive director Max Rheese said in a statement.

Public faith in the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had been shaken following revelations about some of its information-gathering processes, he said.