COP15 Day 8: African walkout over Kyoto briefly halts talks

Published Monday, 14th December 2009

Editor’s note: Greenbang will be providing daily dispatches and ongoing updates from the climate change talks in Copenhagen, and is covering the conference virtually to keep our carbon footprint low.

Following are developments from today’s events at the COP15 climate conference in Copenhagen:

Protest by delegates from African nations led to a walkout and temporary suspension of talks today; the dispute centered on their call for a continued commitment to the Kyoto Protocol before a new treaty is hammered out. “We support African countries’ demands for Kyoto targets and mandatory emissions reductions for rich countries,” said Friends of the Earth International’s Nnimmo Bassey. “We denounce the dirty negotiating tactics of rich countries which are trying to change the rules and tilt them in their own favor. Developed countries are stalling these negotiations as Africa attempts to move them forward.” Discussions have since resumed.
Mohamed Nasheed, president of the Maldives, has arrived in Copenhagen and plans to address a crowd of more than 1,000 people at 19:00 local time. Earlier this year, Nasheed led an underwater cabinet meeting to highlight the threat to his low-lying island nation from climate change and rising seas. “I have three words to say to the doubters and deniers,” state Nasheed’s prepared remarks for the evening. “Three words with which to win this battle. Just three words are all I need. You may already have heard them. Three – Five – Oh.”
As the second week of talks get under way, Climate Interactive’s Climate Scoreboard indicates discussions so far have actually worsened, rather than improved, the global outlook for temperature rise. By making its proposal for emissions reductions conditional on other countries’ actions, Japan caused the scoreboard to move up to a likely temperature rise of 3.9°C (7.0°F) by 2100.
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP estimates that, based on current emissions reduction pledges, the world will “overspend its carbon budget by 50 GtC02e (gigatonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalend) by 2020. That overspend would be equivalent to an entire year of global emissions.”
New research from the British Environment Agency warns that rising temperatures could “spell disaster” for native wildlife. “(F)ish, invertebrates and other water species will be the first to feel the devastating effects of climate change as river temperatures rise, and more frequent flooding and drought change traditional river habitats,” the agency said.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators rallied in Copenhagen and other cities over the weekend to urge world leaders to reach a real and meaningful deal on climate change. Police arrested more than 1,200 people during the Copenhagen demonstration, though many of those detained have since been released.
The weekend also saw church bells around the globe being rung 350 times to recognise the 350-parts-per-million carbon dioxide target activists say is vital for preventing catastrophic climate change. Current atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration stand at 390 parts per million — the highest they’ve been in 15 million years, according to the latest research.
For a moving account of the main climate-focused church service held Sunday in Copenhagen, read Bill McKibben’s, “I went to church and cried. Then I got back to work.” The service began with a procession down the aisle in which dozens of chorus members carried to the altar dead pieces of bleached coral, stones uncovered by retreating glaciers and shrunken ears of corn grown in drought-ravaged parts of Africa.