The last round of pre-COP15 announcements by countries pivotal to closing a firm deal in Copenhagen have added political weight to a summit that was about to wither away. COP15 seemed to be about to flop, particularly after the unfortunate joint US-China statement in Singapore, during the APEC meeting.
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The preparatory measures towards Copenhagen are already important in themselves. For the first time several pivotal players are signaling cooperation, and effective commitment, rather than threatening to veto a deal.
Sergio Abranches
Any deal in Copenhagen, no matter its level of detail, can only be a politically binding one. Would that really matter?
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President Obama said the Copenhagen deal should be comprehensive and effective, after his meeting with president Hu Jintao in China. His remarks raised some hopes that the Climate Summit in Denmark could still be saved, while others continue to say it will flop.
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APEC has become the opportunity for the US to try to recast the expectations about Copenhagen. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had already forewarned that the US was “100-percent committed to creating a framework agreement, not a legally binding treaty.”
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After months of political infighting Brazilian authorities have finally agreed last Friday to commit to a voluntary target to curb between 36 percent and 39 percent of projected emissions under a Business As Usual (BAU) scenario to 2020. It is a major political shift, although real carbon cuts could be much lower than the percentages seem to indicate.
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