Climate Change? .. Yea, whatever..
Tyler Hess, USA
Time is winding down until COP15 arrives. While the the majority of the world’s population is trying to figure out what COP15 even means, the United States’ delegation is busy messing up the Bangkok Climate Negotiations.
Currently, the Bangkok Climate talks can be summarized rather quickly:
1. Developing countries don’t want restrictions. (Because they don’t feel the current condition is that much of their fault).
2. Developed countries are moving away from internationally binding emissions cuts. (Instead, individual countries would pledge their own cuts without binding timetables and targets.)
However, the international community has commended the United States in regards to our active participation in the debate. The United States has not set any goals, targets, or concrete proposals yet. But, this is in part to the ineffective nature of the US Congress. The House version of the Waxman-Markey bill contained a 17% cut and was over a 500 page bill. Now, one of the Senate versions (CEJAPA) contains a 20% cut in emissions by 2020 under 1990 levels. Still, these cuts won’t be enough and the world agrees.
Cornfields to Copenhagen 