COP19: the UN's climate talks proved to be just another cop out

The idea that a meaningful agreement can be forced upon countries is farcical, writes Joseph Zammit-Lucia, we need co-operation on achievable policiesPredictably, COP19 in Warsaw has achieved little. Maybe the biggest achievement is that is has now become abundantly clear that the prospects are now close to zero that a meaningful legally binding, global agreement on carbon emissions will be signed in Paris in 2015.Of course, some agreement may well be signed to enable all to claim success. But that can only happen if a form of words can be found to make such an agreement largely meaningless. As famously said by Geoffrey Howe, by drawing on the ability to separate words from meaning.For many years, the COP negotiations have achieved little in spite of all the resources mobilised and the taxpayer money spent. Now, however, they have gone beyond being useless to being actually counter-productive to the cause of mitigating and adapting to climate change. Why?Negotiations pitched in the framework of achieving legally binding emissions targets were always likely to result in confrontation by pitching one country's interests against the other. This generates antagonism and defensiveness rather than co-operation.Many delegations no longer come to these talks armed with constructive suggestions. Rather, some focus on pushing others to make concessions in their own particular interests while others simply want to make sure that nothing gets written that could harm their national intere...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Tags: Comment Collaboration Guardian Professional Climate change Sustainability COP 19: UN climate change conference Warsaw Guardian sustainable business Leadership Source Type: news