Bad news and (some very limited) good news out of Copenhagen

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by: Marc Brodine
December 21 2009

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The UN Copenhagen climate change conference is over, the weary participants are reliving the highs (very few) and the lows (quite a few), there is an agreement to keep talking and negotiating, and President Obama announced a five-party agreement on some crucial issues.

There will be plenty of commentary over the coming weeks arguing about whether the conference was a bust, a last-minute success or a waste of time, or if it set the groundwork for the next stage of struggle.

All these positions have some validity. The conference did not produce a binding, mandatory agreement on controlling greenhouse gas emissions - so the main goal of the conference was a bust.

Obama did fly in and through last-minute negotiations help seal a deal between the U.S., China, India, Brazil and South Africa. This is an important step, though still far short of any mandatory emission controls or explicit commitments to significantly limit carbon dioxide emissions.

Even though this last-minute deal is very inadequate at addressing the root causes of global warming, it is important that there was some result - a total defeat of any agreement between any of the major players would have set back the struggle. It is a small, incremental step, with a long staircase of steps still ahead of the people of the world.

The conference was also a success in an educational sense, bringing the issue to the forefront of worldwide attention, bringing leaders of 160 countries to the table, highlighting proposals for real limits and real solutions, and also making clear the intensive obstacles to a serious agreement.

The conference will result in a new stage of struggle. Many small, less-developed nations will continue to demand a larger voice, wary because their voices and concerns were brushed aside or muted in the hopes of an international agreement that didn't materialize. The grassroots environmental movements will only grow, the evidence of human-caused global climate change will only accumulate faster, the impacts of climate change will only intensify. The arguments will continue to shift away from denial.

The difficulties of the Copenhagen conference are signals for more involvement by the peoples of the world and their organizations. Unfortunately, some will see it as an excuse to retreat from political action, when much more is called for.

The next major struggle will be in the U.S. Senate. The House has already passed a bill, the Waxman-Markey bill, and the Senate has the Boxer-Kerry bill before it, as well as a bipartisan effort headed by John Kerry and Lindsay Graham. Much like the results of Copenhagen, the result will be inadequate, but some success is crucial.

Photo:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/planetfish/ / CC BY-SA 2.0


 

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  • The carbon footprint of the entire Wall Street military-financial-industrial complex has not been considered in any of this and we need an explanation as to why this is since it is by far the most destructive to our environment and the single greatest contributor to global warming.

    Posted by Alan L. Maki, 12/26/2009 9:30pm (3 months ago)

  • THE EMPIRE WAS BROUGHT TO THE TABLE, BUT THE EMPIRE REFUSED TO FUND THE NEEDED ORGANIC REVOLUTION THAT WOULD SAVE THE PLANET.

    Marx liked such central meetings to occur as they focus the world towards what is necessary to be done. The world needs enlightened state craft for the 21st century to make sure the planets livability is intelligently worked with and the crisis of the fossil fuel emmissions of CO2 and various poisons is ended throughout the entire industrial revolution. The world's top leadership was really not at the meeting however, as they were too busy doing the organic revolution and solving the crisis with the correct relations of unity and struggle at the means of production. They are the workers and their allies, who are even now re-tooling the industrial revolution to the non-pollution solution of wind, tidal, and solar power.

    The failure of the conference to sign a powerful agreement of recognition of immediate necessity to get out of coal, gas, oil and atomic energy at all levels of governance is an admission by the Monopolies that rule in the Imperialist camp that they intend to continue making maximum profits polluting the worlds atmosphere and will use all the forces of their controlled state to suppress and blacklist those that do challenge their authority to do so. They have greenwashed the question, to cover their deceit and refusal to lead.

    Nay, the U.S. Imperialist camp actually was arrogantly telling the vast majority to get in line with Imperialist goals or else. The future is with the youth, thank goodness, and Imperialism by its refusal to lead has left the youth a large hole in its line through which youth can pick up the crudgles and move the ecological, green organic life towards liberation.

    It has therefore plus and minus effects for all the participants and really exposes the capitulation of the monopoly capitalist world and its use of pollution and aggressive war, which bodes nothing good to the planet. Viva socialist liberation. End pollution wars, not endless wars for more and more pollution.

    The communist party that cares most of all for the working classes is due for a period of good growth and cultural revival. Workers of the world, unite!!

    Posted by john, 12/24/2009 4:16am (3 months ago)

  • Oh my god my apologies! I posted this 3 times by mistake:( can anybody erase this? I don't want to be a spammer!!!

    Posted by Mikhail, 12/22/2009 1:33am (3 months ago)

  • I for one have to agree with Gina on this. We would do a much better job to point out the maneuvering that went on and to contribute to that conversation with all due respect of course guys I am posting Fidel's very detailed breakdown:


    Reflections by comrade Fidel Castro
    Fidel Castro: The Truth of What Happened at the Summit

    Until very recently, the discussion revolved around the kind of society we would have. Today, the discussion centers on whether human society will survive.

    These are not dramatic phrases. We must get used to the true facts. Hope is the last thing human beings can relinquish. With truthful arguments, men and women of all ages, especially young people, have waged an exemplary battle at the Summit and taught the world a great lesson.

    It is important now that Cuba and the world come to know as much as possible of what happened in Copenhagen. The truth can be stronger than the influenced and often misinformed minds of those holding in their hands the destiny of the world.

    If anything significant was achieved in the Danish capital, it was that the media coverage allowed the world public to watch the political chaos created there and the humiliating treatment accorded to Heads of States or Governments, ministers and thousands of representatives of social movements and institutions that in hope and expectation traveled to the Summit's venue in Copenhagen. The brutal repression of peaceful protesters by the police was a reminder of the behavior of the Nazi assault troops that occupied neighboring Denmark on April 1940.

    But no one could have thought that on December 18, 2009, the last day of the Summit, this would be suspended by the Danish government –a NATO ally associated with the carnage in Afghanistan- - to offer the conference's plenary hall to President Obama for a meeting where only he and a selected group of guests, 16 in all, would have the exclusive right to speak.

    Obama's deceitful, demagogic and ambiguous remarks failed to involve a binding commitment and ignored the Kyoto Framework Convention. He then left the room shortly after listening to a few other speakers. Among those invited to take the floor were the highest industrialized nations, several emerging economies and some of the poorest countries in the world. The leaders and representatives of over 170 countries were only allowed to listen.

    At the end of the speeches of the 16 chosen, Evo Morales, with the authority of his indigenous Aymara origin and his recent reelection with 65% of the vote as well as the support of two-thirds of the Bolivian House and Senate, requested the floor. The Danish president had no choice but to yield to the insistence of the other delegations. When Evo had concluded his wise and deep observations, the Danish had to give the floor to Hugo Chavez. Both speeches will be registered by history as examples of short and timely remarks. Then, with their mission duly accomplished they both left for their respective countries. But when Obama disappeared, he had yet to fulfill his task in the host country.

    From the evening of the 17th and the early morning hours of the 18th, the Prime Minister of Denmark and senior representatives of the United States had been meeting with the Chairman of the European Commission and the leaders of 27 nations to introduce to them --on behalf of Obama-- a draft agreement in whose elaboration none of the other leaders of the rest of the world had taken part. It was an antidemocratic and practically clandestine initiative that disregarded the thousands of representatives of social movements, scientific and religious institutions and other participants in the Summit.

    Through the night of the 18th and until 3:00 a.m. of the 19th, when many Heads of States had already departed, the representatives of the countries waited for the resumption of the sessions and the conclusion of the event. Throughout the 18th, Obama held meetings and press conferences, and the same did the European leaders. Then, they left.

    Something unexpected happened then: at three in the morning of the 19th, the Prime Minister of Denmark convened a meeting to conclude the Summit. By then, the countries were represented by ministers, officials, ambassadors and technical staff.

    However, an amazing battle was waged that morning by a group of representatives of Third World countries challenging the attempt by Obama and the wealthiest on the planet to introduce a document imposed by the United States as one agreed by consensus in the Summit.

    The representative of Venezuela, Claudia Salerno, showed with impressive energy her right hand bleeding from strongly slamming on the table to claim her right to take the floor. Her tone of voice and the dignity of her arguments will never be forgotten.

    The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba made a vigorous speech of approximately one thousand words from which I have chosen a few paragraphs to include in this Reflection:

    "The document that you, Mister Chairman, repeatedly claimed that did not exist shows up now. […] we have seen drafts circulating surreptitiously and being discussed in secret meetings…"

    "…I deeply resent the way you have led this conference."

    "…Cuba considers the text of this apocryphal draft extremely inadequate and inadmissible. The goal of 2 degrees centigrade is unacceptable and it would have incalculable catastrophic consequences… "

    "The document that you are unfortunately introducing is not binding in any way with respect to the reduction of the greenhouse effect gas emissions."

    "I am aware of the previous drafts, which also through questionable and clandestine procedures, were negotiated by small groups of people…"

    "The document you are introducing now fails to include the already meager and lacking key phrases contained in that draft…"

    "…as far as Cuba is concerned, it is incompatible with the universally recognized scientific view sustaining that it is urgent and inescapable to ensure the reduction of at least 45% of the emissions by the year 2020, and of no less than 80% or 90% by 2050."

    "Any argument on the continuation of the negotiations to reach agreement in the future to cut down emissions must inevitably include the concept of the validity of the Kyoto Protocol […] Your paper, Mister Chairman, is a death certificate of the Kyoto Protocol and my delegation cannot accept it."

    "The Cuban delegation would like to emphasize the preeminence of the principle of `common by differentiated responsibilities, ' as the core of the future process of negotiations. Your paper does not include a word on that."

    "This draft declaration fails to mention concrete financial commitments and the transfers of technologies to developing countries, which are part of the obligations contracted by the developed countries under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change […] Mister Chairman, by imposing their interests through your document, the developed nations are avoiding any concrete commitment."

    "…What you, Mister Chairman, define as `a group of representative leaders' is to me a gross violation of the principle of sovereign equality consecrated in the United Nations Charter…"

    "Mr. Chairman, I formally request that this statement be included in the final report of the works of this regrettable and shameful 15th session of the Conference of the Parties."

    The representatives of the countries had been given only one hour to present their views. This led to complicated, shameful and embarrassing situations.

    Then, a lengthy debate ensued where the delegations from the developed countries put a heavy pressure on the rest to make the conference adopt the abovementioned document as the final result of their deliberations.

    A small number of countries firmly insisted on the grave omissions and ambiguities of the document promoted by the United States, particularly the absence of a commitment by the developed countries on the reduction of carbon emissions and on the financing that would allow the South countries to adopt alleviating and adjustment measures.

    After a long and extremely tense discussion, the position of the ALBA countries and Sudan, as President of the G-77, prevailed that the document was unacceptable to the conference thus it could not be adopted.

    In view of the absence of consensus, the Conference could only "take note" of the existence of that document representing the position of a group of about 25 countries.

    After that decision was made, --at 10:30 in the morning Denmark's time-- Bruno, together with other ALBA representatives, had a friendly discussion with the UN Secretary to whom they expressed their willingness to continue struggling alongside the United Nations to prevent the terrible consequences of climate change. Their mission completed, our Foreign Minister and Cuban Vicepresident Esteban Lazo departed to come back home and attend the National Assembly session. A few members of the delegation and the ambassador stayed in Copenhagen to take part in the final procedures.

    This afternoon they reported the following:

    "…both, those who were involved in the elaboration of the document, and those like the President of the United States who anticipated its adoption by the conference…as they could not disregard the decision to simply `take note' of the alleged `Copenhagen Agreement,' they tried to introduce a procedure allowing the other COP countries that had not been a part of the shady deal to adhere to it, and make it public, the intention being to pretend such an agreement was legal, something that could precondition the results of the negotiations that should carry on."

    "Such belated attempt was again firmly opposed by Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia. These countries warned that a document which had not been adopted by the Convention could not be considered legal and that there was not a COP document; therefore, no regulations could be established for its alleged adoption…"

    "This is how the meeting in Copenhagen is coming to an end, without the adoption of the document surreptitiously worked out in the past few days under the clear ideological guidance of the US Administration… "

    Tomorrow our attention will be focused on the National Assembly.

    Lazo, Bruno and the other members of the delegation will be arriving at midnight today. On Monday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will be able to explain in details and with the necessary accuracy the truth of what happened at the Summit.

    Fidel Castro Ruz
    December 19, 2009
    8:17p.m.

    Posted by Mikhail, 12/22/2009 1:32am (3 months ago)

  • Top Cuban official says Obama lied in Copenhagen

    Dec 21, 8:20 PM (ET)

    By WILL WEISSERT

    HAVANA (AP) - Cuba's foreign minister called President Barack Obama an "imperial and arrogant" liar Monday for his conduct at the U.N. climate conference, a reflection of the communist island's increasingly fiery verbal attacks on the U.S. government.

    Bruno Rodriguez spent an hour and a half lambasting Obama's behavior in Copenhagen, telling a news conference, "at this summit, there was only imperial, arrogant Obama, who does not listen, who imposes his positions and even threatens developing countries."

    He called the summit "a fallacy, a farce" and said Washington used back-room deals and strong-arm tactics to foist on the world a deal that he labeled "undemocratic" and "suicidal" because it urges - but does not require - major polluters to make deeper emissions cuts.

    Rodriguez also said Cuba and other poor nations have refused to recognize the agreement because they weren't permitted to participate in its development.

    He singled out comments Obama made during a news conference in Copenhagen, when the U.S. president said no agreement had yet been reached but he was confident one would before the summit ended. "Obama knew he was lying, that he was deceiving public opinion," the foreign minister said.

    When asked if Cuba was serious about forging a climate agreement given that President Raul Castro declared Copenhagen a failure days before it ended, Rodriguez said, "Cuba's prestige is well-recognized in international negotiations."

    "It was an open secret that countries would not reach an agreement," he said.

    Rodriguez would not answer questions about the status of an American citizen who was detained in Cuba on Dec. 5 while working as a U.S. government contractor.

    Castro first publicly mentioned the detention Sunday, when he told the Cuban Parliament that the American was arrested for distributing illegal satellite communications equipment.

    "The United States won't quit trying to destroy the revolution," Castro said, referring to the armed rebellion that brought his brother Fidel to power on New Year's Day 1959.

    "In the past few weeks we have witnessed the stepping up of the new administration's efforts in this area," he said, adding that the arrest "demonstrates that the enemy is as active as ever."

    American diplomats in Cuba have requested - but not yet received - Cuba's permission for consular access to the detainee, whose name has not been released. Rodriguez refused to say whether his office would grant the request.

    Rodriguez's comments Monday echoed remarks by former President Fidel Castro, who in a weekend opinion column called Obama's speech in Copenhagen "deceitful, demagogic and full of ambiguities."

    Last week, the elder Castro, who stepped down as head of state in February 2008, wrote that Washington is looking to solidify its control over Latin America and that Obama's "friendly smile and African-American face" hide his government's sinister true intentions for the region.

    Raul Castro over the weekend mentioned recent war games Cuba conducted to prepare for a U.S. invasion and hinted that the contractor's arrest shows further American aggression against his country is a real possibility.

    "I just want to note that here we have a people who are ready to protect, at any price, the successes of the revolution," he said. "I'd advise one and all that they cease provocations of this type."

    Gina Gianlorenzi
    Pittsburgh PA

    Posted by Gina Gianlorenzi , 12/21/2009 9:36pm (3 months ago)

  • I agree thoroughly with the assessment-December 21 2009 of Marc Brodine “Bad news and some very limited good news out of Copenhagen” He summed things up toward the close of his piece, “The difficulties of the Copenhagen conference are signals for more involvement by the peoples of the world and their organizations. Unfortunately, some will see it as an excuse to retreat from political action, when much more is called for.” Indeed I agree, very much more.

    The COP15 summit exhibited an almost dictatorial attitude toward NGOs and the smaller poorer nations which were shut out of the final accord talks at the end, and the majority of the nations most affected by global warming who were expressing their concerns went ignored.

    But also for me the comments of several leaders from Latin America went straight to the heart of the matter, especially---Presidents Evo Morales and Hugo Chavez of Bolivia and Venezuela respectively, summed up the solution to the problems facing the international community, vis-a-vie coming to agreements to change the worst of global warming now stymied by a lack of leadership coming from the US administration of Barack Obama;

    Several days ago, Amy Goodman reporting from Copenhagen interviewed Indigenous President of Bolivia, Avo Morales who responded to Ms Goodman's question,

    AMY GOODMAN: You spoke yesterday here at the Bella Center and said we cannot end global warming without ending capitalism. What did you mean?
    “Capitalism is the worst enemy of humanity. Capitalism—and I’m speaking about irrational development—policies of unlimited industrialization are what destroys the environment. And that irrational industrialization is capitalism. So as long as we don’t review or revise those policies, it’s impossible to attend to humanity and life. Looking forward means that we have to review everything that capitalism has done. These are things that cannot just be solved with money. We have to resolve problems of life and humanity. And that’s the problem that planet earth faces today. And this means ending capitalism.” 17th December 2009 Indigenous Bolivian President Evo Morales at Copenhagen –interview with Amy Goodman

    Today Ms Goodman also interviewed Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez-- who spoke even before President Obama delivered his speech described the political `climate' and proceedings at Copenhagen, “Chavez called the proceedings undemocratic and accused world leaders of only seeking a face-saving agreement. He described President Obama as having won the “Nobel war prize” and said the world still smelled of sulfur, referring to his comments about President Bush at the United Nations last year.

    Goodman caught up with President Chavez for a few minutes at the news conference held there with world leaders, and after asking him about the fact that his country sells the US more oil than any other country other than Canada, Chavez responded, “The problem is not the oil, but what they do with the oil. The United States is the biggest spender of oil and of all the planet resources. Oil is a very valuable resource for life—electric heaters. We must have to transition ourselves to a post-oil era. And that’s what we must discuss, searching and developing new sources of energy. And that requires scientific research. That requires investment. And the developed countries must be the ones to assume this responsibility first.

    Goodman then asked what he thought would be an acceptable level of CO 2 emissions to be agreed upon as a goal to be reached for the international community, to which he replied, “One hundred percent. One hundred percent. We must reduce the emissions 100 percent. In Venezuela, the emissions are currently insignificant compared to the emissions of the developed countries. We are in agreement. We must reduce all the emissions that are destroying the planet. However, that requires a change in lifestyle, a change in the economic model: we must go from capitalism to socialism. That’s the real solution.”

    “He further stated for Goodman and the rest of the United States listening to her broadcast, “I wish for you to get a government that truly takes care of you first and then works towards peace for the rest of the world.” Following his siting the US imperialist policies Obama continues from the Bush years, he said, after she asked him what specifically he meant, to which he replied, "The war. I told Obama, when he took the initiative to come visit us in the Summit of the Americas—we talked for a few minutes. I told him, “Obama, let’s work for peace in Colombia. That’s what I am proposing. Let’s get a team together to analyze the problem.” But absolutely nothing. He is now installing seven military bases in Colombia. That’s just one example.

    And in Iraq and Afghanistan, policies of war. Guantanamo, it is a great frustration. And I feel sorry, not for me. You are from the United States. I feel sorry for you, because you deserve a government that takes care of the problems of the people of the United States and stops thinking about dominating the rest of the world and just governs over the United States, eradicates the problems of the United States, the poverty, the inequality, which gets bigger every day, the unemployment, families on the street, homeless, without Social Security, diseases. I wish for you to get a government that truly takes care of you first and then works towards peace for the rest of the world.”

    And Goodman responding to Morales's suggestion of “a change in the economic model: we must go from capitalism to socialism. That’s the real solution”.She then asked him how? And He responded,
    “The way they did it in Cuba. That’s the way. The same way we are doing in Venezuela: giving the power to the people and taking it away from the economic elites. You can only do that through a revolution.”

    I see no real hope for solving the enormous problems in our world today without first taking on the mandate of socialist society to live cooperatively, and to evolve the institutions of continuous capitalist war economies into peaceful problem solving and true diplomacy—something capitalism is very bad at, if we take the history of the last century. The war on terror is an artificial construct so that rich military industrialists can continue wasting the energies and lives of billions of people so that their greed may be satisfied. We can no longer afford the rich! We must beat the war machines into people friendly and environmentally friendly machinery for the survival of life, human and otherwise on our earth to have hope for the future.

    Posted by Reverend Antoinette Pezet, 12/21/2009 9:06pm (3 months ago)

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