The Copenhagen Conference

The climate change conference known as the Copenhagen summit held in Denmark was for some a total failure as the Copenhagen accord was only drafted by 5 countries out of 196 other countries. The other participating countries did not have a proper say in the matter and although the document recognise that climate change is one of the biggest challenges of the present and could affect the future if actions are not taken right now, there were no legally binding commitments for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Even though President Barack Obama and George Brown were happy about the agreement, many other leaders of other countries were not. It was certainly no gift to small islands and low-lying coastlands. The point of the meeting was to come out with a legally binding contract that would help developing countries tackle the climate change issue but instead it was more of a political accord between 5 countries. The smaller countries that are the one suffering the most had no say in this issue and all this shows was that this agreement does not reflect a global consensus. Just as before when political leaders meet there is always a lot of talk but unfortunately just talking will not resolve the issue. There were lots of ideas shared but no concrete steps were taken. The first country that will suffer the most from these outcomes is Africa. Without a legally binding contract, Africa will have to rely on the goodwill of developed countries for its future wellbeing. However, as we all know that goodwill is far from guaranteed. None of the goals set to be achieved before has ever been met regarding reducing emissions. Maybe the reason why the U.S did not opt for a legally binding contract is because they are one of the countries who produce the most carbon dioxide emissions and since their economy is very down at the moment, they might not be able to afford these laws which will affect the productivity and efficiency of their industries. The