COP15 Recap Final Week 2: Seal the Deal on Climate Change?

The final week of the Copenhagen climate change summit; A summary of the second week with the key events of each day:

Day 8. Talks resumed after 135 developing nations boycotted the summit believing rich nations were trying to kill off the Kyoto Protocol, which only places binding targets on rich nations. As in the COP15 Week 1 Recap, it was all about the Benjamin's (hundred dollar bills, lots of them). Headway was made regarding REDD issues (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation - 20% of the world's emissions). Still unresolved is actual funding of solutions.

Day 9. Continuing the war of the drafts, developing nations prepared their ABASIC climate agreement draft (Africa, Brazil, South Africa, India, China) further characterizing the divided nations. "I think the way the (UN) working groups are functioning is not conducive to creating any form of consensus. Right now I'm really confused. If you want to maintain your sanity, don't look at drafts," India's negotiator Ramesh tells Bloomberg. Progress in REDD issues remains a lone success. "Saving tropical forests has positively catalyzed the climate change negotiations - it is the only beacon in an otherwise dark night," said Tropical Forest Group's Cara Peace.

Day 10. President of the conference Connie Hedegaard stepped down, replaced by Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmusen in order to present a unifying draft of the summit. The plans of the COP presidency were dashed when there was an unexpected halt of the conference as many nations took the time to discuss privately the procedures for further negotiations. As negotiations were silenced, money spoke loud and clear as Japan pledged $15B in aid, outdoing the EU pledge of $10B annually in short-term financing until 2012. To obtain more reliable funding African nations agreed to less funding, a deal brokered by by Meles Zenawi the African climate negotiator. On the other side of the globe US Senator John Kerry promised that if the summit is successful, the USA will pass climate change legislation. One caveat, greatly opposed by China, is that developing nations provide transparency and "accountability on their emissions cuts." Continuing a successful REDD agenda the US, France, Japan, Norway, and Britain pledged $3.5B for deforestation control.

Day 11. By noon, talks resumed as nations agreed to focus on two things: 1) The Kyoto Protocol and 2) The Copenhagen Climate Summit. The COP presidency had given up on providing a unifying text and rich nations gave up trying to kill off the Kyoto Protocol. Hillary Clinton promised aid of $100B, but only if developing nations provide full transparency of their emissions. China accepted the plea so long as it maintains its autonomy. The Guardian reported on a confidential UN document that concedes the current agreement would allow global warming to rise 3C. At this temperature major cities: Tokyo, New York, Cairo, London would be endangered. There were many unresolved issues as world leaders, including President Obama and China's Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, were left to piece together a climate change agreement.

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