Thursday, May 21, 2009

Governments to debate whether or not to save the world [200 days to go]

If you want to browse the climate menus, they can be downloaded from the UNFCCC's homepage. http://unfccc.int/2860.php

SHOOT: It is quite a difficult question. Should we save ourselves from extinction, or make more money? Hmmmm.
There are 200 days to go before world governments gather in Copenhagen for a last-ditch attempt to agree on whether or not to save the world.
The crucial negotiations to be held in December at the COP15 climate summit will decide on a successor for the Kyoto protocol. Now it turns out the meeting will be exposed to public scrutiny as never before: the UN has just released the negotiating texts.

I've just had quick scan through one of them. The usual policy jargon this time reads like a menu, or a multiple-choice exam:
The long-term global goal for emissions reductions {shall}{should} be set option
1: as a stabilization for greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at {400}{450 or lower} ... parts per million of carbon dioxide equivalent
option 2: ...
option 3: as a global temperature increase limited to 2°C above the pre-industrial level
option 4: as a reduction in global average greenhouse gas emissions per capita to about 2 tonnes CO2
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