"Copenhagen: What Would Success Look Like?"

"Over the next two weeks, world leaders will gather in Copenhagen to discuss the future of the planet. We already know that the summit will only produce a political agreement, not a binding treaty. But that doesn't mean the conference will be a total wash. Here's what the historic meeting in Denmark can—and should—accomplish. ...

In a call with reporters before the conference, Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), outlined a set of goals that might be considered as a best-case scenario for the meeting. The 192 participating nations must agree on three major points, de Boer said. First, developed and developing countries need to set targets for substantial emissions cuts to be made by 2020 and 2050. ...

Second, negotiators should specify steps that developed and developing countries will take to begin cutting emissions immediately after the conference.

And third, the summit must agree on how much money rich nations will contribute to help poor ones adapt to climate change and adopt cleaner forms of energy—along with a plan for how the money will be raised."

Kate Sheppard reports for Mother Jones December 7, 2009.

See Also:

"What Copenhagen Climate Treaty Might Look Like" (NPR)