Climate Change Conference Thus Far

This week's UN conference in Denmark has thus far proven to be more grueling than anticipated, demonstrating a distinct distrust of the United States by the international community and its lack of commitment to previous efforts at reigning in global warming; with President Obama arriving in Copenhagen tomorrow, those concerns should be put to rest. However, the divide between developed and developing countries, between the rich and the poor, has also defined the summit and its lack of progress up to now.

Regardless of the good intentions of any nation, funding is the variable necessary to make meaningful pledges. Without economic means, countries are unable to fund research into new technologies that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions or to implement the changes any research already suggests. Furthermore, those countries that are developing are focusing more attention on their industrialization, becoming a part of the global trade community, and increasing internal wealth and development (as one official put it, it's difficult to choose between schools and hospitals and climate change pledges when money is scare in the developing world).

And pledges that have already been made, as a leaked document suggests, may not be enough to slow global warming within the 2C degree aimed for; in fact, projections that incorporate current pledges for reducing greenhouse gas emissions indicate a rise in the global temperature of 3C/5.4F.

However, Hillary Clinton has promised that the United States is willing to extend up to $100B to developing nations in order to aid in efforts at controlling and reducing emissions. The Senate demands transparency from those that would receive US dollars, and thus far it is China that is most resistant to this stipulation (surprise!).

And there is reason to be optimistic, as developing countries maintain high expectations for developed countries because they are in the best position to lead the way toward meaningful pledges and following through on them. However, the offer by the United States to aid other nations in developing climate change initiatives makes me wonder about the potential for a future international welfare system. Crazy liberal alert! Perhaps a future post on that.