2009 Copenhagen Climate Change Conference
News and Updates
After Copenhagen. Although a last minute deal did emerge from the
Copenhagen Climate talks, it lacks targets and timetables for reducing
global warming pollution and it is certainly not the kind of "real
deal" that global grassroots have been clamoring for. The "Copenhagen
Accord" our leaders agreed to falls short of the fair, ambitious
and binding deal we need to deal with climate change. Even President
Obama himself described the Copenhagen Accord as "not enough" to tackle
global warming. Failure in Copenhagen highlights more than ever the
importance of our work here in the US pressuring our leaders here in
the US.
Last Thursday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced the willingness of the United States to contribute to a $100 billion dollar annual fund by 2020 for developing nations.
A day prior, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, announced that the U.S. would contribute $1 billion dollars to a $3.5 joint fund from 2010-2012 "as initial public finance towards slowing, halting and eventually reversing deforestation in developing countries" .
Copenhagen Reaction Pieces.
12-17-09,CoolMom Shout Out by Mayor Nickels.
Eighty Mayors representing over 700 million people gathered yesterday in Copenhagen to urge their national goverments to seal a deal to stop global warming. The Copenhagen Communique calls upon the UN negotiators to set a framework for carbon reduction this week.
In conference proceedings, Mayor's from around the world shared best practices to reduce carbon emissions. Discussing the best ideas of citizen engagement, Mayor Nickels sang the praises of four efforts in Seattle--Cool Moms, SCALLOPS, Seattle Climate Partnership and Seattle Climate Action NOW.
The Mayor described how the CAN calculator has helped individuals develop plans for their personal actions to reduce carbon.
Alain Juppe, Mayor of Bordeaux and former Prime Minister of France, agreed, "at the end of the day, stopping global warming will require the efforts of every citizen."
Today Mayor Nickels joins Mexico City's Mayor Marcelo Ebrard in announcing citizen engagement plans for EarthDay 40, the 40th anniversary of Earth Day to be celebrated on April 22, 2010.
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