The Commerce Times

COP15

What was COP15?
December 7 – 18 2009, I attended a conference where the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change met for the 15th time at the globally heralded conference, dubbed COP15. With political leaders and non-governmental organizations from 192 participating countries, COP15 was the conference that had both environmentalists and oil barons on the edge of their seats for 14 days as 2009 wrapped up.

What would be the global climate change consensus? How much would carbon credits cost? What would be the global carbon reduction goal? Who would pay the costs for carbon reduction? All of these questions were to be answered by an internationally binding agreement that would have shaped the way the world would operate for the next 40 years.

Unfortunately, as what usually happens within the UN framework, resolve and action, we’re stifled by empty rhetoric and political musing. No legally binding agreement was met and by the end of January. The countries that did sign onto the Copenhagen Accord could “implement mitigation actions” that would slow down the growth of carbon emissions. The world held its breath and then rolled its eyes at the conclusion of the Conference; a lot of talking without any action.

The irony was the scale at which this type of conference was held. 45,000 thousand delegates registered to attend a conference with facilities designed to hold 20,000 people. 45,000 people flew, drove, took the ferry or the train to Copenhagen. What would be interestingto know is the amount of carbon generated by the conference alone. Did the event need to be such a spectacle? It seemed at points like a pre-choreographed show that was well rehearsed and the delegates were simply extras helping out. It was one massive public relations campaign hosted by the United Nations to add credibility and try to show to the world that Governments do care about the environment.

Canada’s Failure to Act
While this credit may be due for countries like Denmark — a model for renewable energy implementation — it is shameful to look into my own backyard here in Canada and what our government does or rather fails to do. Our government doesn’t commit to any real carbon reduction initiatives, while provinces like Ontario, British Colombia and Quebec are mandating their own independent carbon reduction goals. So the question remains, that if the most populous provinces in Canada are supporting concrete carbon reduction goals, why isn’t our government?

Canada’s failure to act was recognized with the “Fossil of the Year” award at Copenhagen for building on two years of delay, obstruction and total inaction in the commitment to alleviate climate change. The only positive event Canada experienced was when the culture jamming group The Yes Men leaked fake documents from the Minister of Environment Jim Prentice’s offices that committed Canada to ambitious concrete climate change goals.

Our Generation
Still, all is not lost. Awareness is growing, and the ironic scale of the conference did have positive side effects, like the international persistent media coverage. For two and a half weeks the world paid attention to the issues: our oceans are in peril, the planet appears to be warming, ice is melting faster than predicted and the amount of carbon in the air is increasing. These are facts that everyone can agree on. The Boomers are leaving the younger generations with quite a mess, and it will take astute leadership and a commitment to take worldwide action.

Students and youth around the world must realize that today’s headlines are going to be their problems tomorrow. After leaving the shelter of university life you must go into the world and find where you can make a positive difference.

At the conference there was wave after wave of protests, typically involving young and radical people from all over the world. One protester I met had traveled the entire way from London, England in a carbon neutral manner, by bike, to join the protests. When asked why he was protesting, his response was that whatever the agreement is at COP15, it will never be enough.

Taras Koulik, TRSM alum / Canadian delegate, at a Danish Wind Power generation facility tour

The Future & COP16
What happened at Copenhagen can be viewed in many different ways. For me, it was an incredible experience that I will never forget. For a protester it may have meant nights in jail or smoke grenade throwing lessons. For a political leader it was listening to endless debates in the Plenary room between political combatants. For the world, it was a lot of hype and then failure in what could have been the agreement to set an optimistic action oriented tone for the second decade of the twenty first century.

COP16 will be held at the end of 2010 in Mexico. As an eternal optimist, I have hope that over the course of the year, governments worldwide can muster the courage required to make a commitment to their people and finally take action.