From: Environmental Law ReSource
This post was written by Larry Demase and Jennifer Smokelin. As
they return from two weeks at the COP in Copenhagen, Reed Smith
lawyers Lawrence Demase and Jennifer Smokelin reflect on what
transpired and offer some advice regarding what to look for in the
future: The Copenhagen Accord, negotiated by only five countries
and outside of the UN process, lays out the high-level agreements
in principle of the largest emitters that are not party to the
Kyoto Protocol: China, the United States, and India. The most
significant outcome is the agreement with regard to greenhouse gas
(GHG) reduction by non-Kyoto parties, particularly China and the
United States. With China's use of oil increasing at an incredible
rate, even modest commitments (like a decrease in GHG intensity),
could be a significant...
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Exclusive reports by Reed Smith delegates from the climate summit in Copenhagen will be posted on this blog beginning on Monday, December 7.
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From December 7-18, representatives from nations around the
globe will gather in Copenhagen to discuss a global agreement on
climate change. Denmark will act as host for this fifteenth
Conference of the Parties (COP) under the United Nations’
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Officially,
the stated goal of COP15, according to United Nations organizers,
is “to stabilize the amount of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere at a level that prevents dangerous man-made climate
changes.” They add that “this stabilization must
occur in such a way as to give the ecosystems the opportunity to
adapt naturally” without compromi...