Main focus of Monday, December 21, 2009

Post-Copenhagen blues

The press is dismayed that the world's leaders have taken note of - but not endorsed - the Copenhagen Accord on limiting greenhouse gases. Europe's journalists put their hopes in the follow-up meeting in Bonn and reflect on transferring decision-making powers to an independent climate commission.

El País - Spain

After the failure of the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, an international commission for climate issues could help matters, writes the left-liberal daily El País: "For the almost 200 countries participating, the Copenhagen summit was the last opportunity to show that they can be part of the solution to global warming. Unfortunately they demonstrated in Copenhagen that they are a large part of the problem. Consequently the time has come to take a qualitative step forward and start thinking about how they can be stripped of their decision-making power. That may sound radical, but have no fear: politics is really only about deciding which powers of decision we want to allocate to which levels to solve problems as they arise." (21/12/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Environmental Policy, » Denmark, » Global
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The Independent - United Kingdom

The outcome of the climate protection conference is certainly frustrating, but the post-summit meeting that will take place in Bonn this June could right matters, writes The Independent: "It was disappointing, in part, because expectations were so high, and one reason for the chaos was that so many countries, with such differing requirements and concerns, attended, not to speak of the specialists and NGOs demanding their say from the wings. All is not - yet - lost. ... At least all present understood the importance of what they were trying to do. Everyone has agreed to reconvene in Germany in six weeks' (sic) time, bringing with them specific bids and targets. All effort should now be directed to ensuring that in Bonn, real, quantifiable, progress can be achieved." (21/12/2009)

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De Standaard - Belgium

The failure in Copenhagen could have devastating consequences, writes the daily De Standaard: "All we can do is conclude that the world leaders have let the world down. Like Munich before the Second World War, Copenhagen will soon be synonymous with a lack of political courage and an excess of political helplessness. But the failure in Copenhagen could have far more terrible consequences even than the Second World War. … From those who aspire to be leaders of states we demand a much greater sense of responsibility, more visions and more courage. Not a pathetic battle for their own political survival. The 21st century belongs to the people who realise this." (21/12/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Environmental Policy, » Global
All available articles from » Peter Vandermeersch

Politiken - Denmark

The climate summit in Copenhagen has ushered in a new world order, writes the daily Politiken: "China came across as every bit the superpower. And in contrast to previous meetings the US and the EU were unable to push through their interests. ... The poor nations looked on in approval as China refused to accept the same standards for all countries and rejected binding CO2 reductions and external controls of its climate protection measures. ... Copenhagen will not go down in history for securing consensus or bringing the world together in concerted action. But it will be remembered as a time when the US and the EU underestimated the developing countries' new sense of self-esteem. That alone is no reason to despair. Negotiating future agreements will no doubt be more difficult, nevertheless their contents may well be more soically balanced and sustainable. Copenhagen means a new start to the global power game - with a new set of rules." (20/12/2009)

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

Hospodářské noviny - Czech Republic

The business paper Hospodářské Noviny writes that while the Western world is the loser of the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, it still has a role to play in the climate agenda: "Countries like India and China have shown that economic growth is more important for them than the repercussions of climate change. ... The West is rich enough that it can face up to climate change. China and India will only get around to doing that once they too have got rich quick. There is no such thing as solidarity in a game like this. ... True, Europe was pushed to the sidelines in Copenhagen, nevertheless it should continue to exert pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Not just because of climate change, but above all to show how the dangers of overdependence on oil and gas may be avoided." (21/12/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Environmental Policy, » Global
All available articles from » Petr Honzejk

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