Main focus of Friday, November 27, 2009

New hope for climate summit

The US and China have changed tack now and announced concrete targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover both US President Barack Obama and China's Premier Wen Jiabao will attend the climate conference in Copenhagen. This will help the climate, writes the European press, but not much.

Le Monde - France

After the decision by US President Barack Obama, now China's head of government Wen Jiabao has also announced he will come in person to the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. That bodes well for the summit, writes the daily Le Monde: "Just a few days ago the Copenhagen Conference on fighting global warming seemed none too promising. For many people the meeting ... seemed doomed to failure. Even if he hasn't got everyone hoping an agreement will be reached, at least the American president has made it possible that the summit will not result in an impasse from day one. Barack Obama ... won't be coming with his hands empty. For the first time he has committed to tangible goals. ... In addition, in harmony with France's active diplomacy in this matter, the American initiative was indispensable in softening China's position. Now Beijing has also announced fixed objectives." (26/11/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Environmental Policy, » U.S., » Global

Süddeutsche Zeitung - Germany

Shortly before the climate conference in Copenhagen is due to begin China has announced concrete targets in the fight against global warming for the first time. It aims to reduce its carbon intensity - the amount of carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product - by 2020, but only by between 40 and 45 percent. This is a sham, the left-liberal daily Süddeutsche Zeitung complains. "Greenhouse emissions are even likely to increase. Premier Wen Jiabao won't bring more to Denmark. China fears that a slowdown in economic growth could lead to the already enormous social tensions in its provinces spiralling out of control. For fear of losing its grip on power the Communist Party, whose only legitimation nowadays is economic growth, baulks at making real, painful cuts in the name of climate protection."  (27/11/2009)

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Financial Times - United Kingdom

The presence of US President Barack Obama at the climate conference in Copenhagen is crucial, writes the Financial TImes: "Barack Obama is right to visit the Copenhagen climate talks. The meeting will achieve less than was once hoped for, and Mr Obama's hands, to be sure, are tied by domestic politics. But his personal commitment is still valuable. Governments have already said that the meeting will produce no new treaty to curb greenhouse gases. And Mr Obama's proposal to cut US emissions by 17 per cent from 2005 levels by 2020 amounts to little, as yet. Bills aiming to achieve such cuts - smaller, in any case, than those proposed by the European Union - are bogged down in Congress. But it is not insignificant that he signals his determination to make progress. US commitment to this task is indispensable and there would be little hope of such commitment if Mr Obama were unwilling to spend some of his diminishing stock of political capital on the endeavour." (27/11/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Environmental Policy, » U.S., » Global

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