The Copenhagen conference president encouraged by US President

In December this year world leaders will gather at a summit in Copenhagen the capital of Denmark to finalize a new climate treaty to replace the Kyoto-Protocol.

As the senior climate official of the host country, Connie Hedegaard, the Danish Minister of Climate and Energy, assumed the presidency of the negotiations at the Climate Conference in Poznan in December 2008.

The Copenhagen meeting will be the 15th conference of the COP or Conference of the Parties. The Copenhagen conference is therefore referred to as COP 15.  

 “In Bali in 2007, all countries in the world agreed to set Copenhagen as the deadline for an agreed outcome,” Minister Hedegaard told UNRIC Magazine. “And as we have seen climate change accelerate since then the deadline has not become less important. Climate change demands an urgent global response, and the goal is to reach an ambitious, truly global climate agreement in Copenhagen.”

One reason for optimism is certainly US President Obama´s declarations and actions on global warming. “US engagement in the fight against climate change is crucial. I am encouraged by the first signals from President Barack Obama,” says Ms. Hedegaard. “ It shows a new US willingness to re-engage in the negotiations – and beyond that -  to work towards reducing US emissions. We now need to work urgently with the new administration to clarify further how the US will contribute and engage.”

She agrees with the US President that the financial crisis is no reason for not acting on climate change. “On the contrary, the policies required to address climate change have a lot in common with the policies that can help create jobs and revitalize our economies.”

Year of opportunity
Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UN Climate Treaty (UNFCCC) agrees with the Danish Minister. In a speech to  Members of the British Parliament on 26 January he quoted the UN Secretary-General´s words that 2009 was “the year of climate change.”

“2009, the year of climate change, is also the year of opportunity,” de Boer said. “Encouragingly, the economic crises are being used by some, for example the EU, US and China, as an opportunity to redirect energy policies into a greener future….Copenhagen 2009 has an opportunity to play in this by further strengthening and extending the economic opportunities in “going green”.

Including the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (7 - 18 December), at least four major UNFCCC gatherings will take place this year, the first two in Bonn, Germany (29 March - 08 April and 1 - 12 June) and the third in August/September.

Parties at the Poznan Conference agreed that a first draft of the text of a new climate deal would be available at a UNFCCC gathering in Bonn in June of 2009.

In addition, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, announced at the Poznan conference that he would convene a world summit during the General Assembly in September to accelerate the negotiating process.