"Obama strikes deal with emerging powers
A U.S. official says President Barack Obama reached a deal on climate with leaders from China, India and South Africa during late-night talks at the U.N. Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen, although the agreement falls far short of ambitions for the summit." [Reuters, Emphasis Mine]
"INSTANT VIEW: Reaction to Copenhagen climate deal
COPENHAGEN
Fri Dec 18, 2009 4:18pm ESTCOPENHAGEN (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama reached a climate agreement on Friday with India, South Africa, China and Brazil, a U.S. official said. The deal outlined fell far short of the ambitions for the Copenhagen summit.
Green Business
Here are reactions.
JOHN LANCHBERY, BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL
"It sounds very vague. There's no next step, nothing to link through to how to get a final deal done."
STEVE SAWYER, SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE GLOBAL WIND ENERGY
COUNCIL
"On the basis of drafts I've seen so far ... standing on its own a political declaration like that doesn't do much other than paper over the fact that that governments have failed to keep the promises they made to each other (in Bali, Indonesia two years ago at the launch of the two-year climate talks meant to agree a climate pact)."
FACTBOX: Which leaders didn't make it to Copenhagen?
COPENHAGEN
Fri Dec 18, 2009 2:36am ESTCOPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Leaders from 119 nations are meeting this week at a United Nations climate change summit in Copenhagen, but with around 200 countries worldwide, who is missing from the largest ever global environmental talks?
Green Business | Italy | COP15
Some world leaders sent their minister for foreign affairs, environment or oil instead. Here is a list of some conspicuous omissions from the UN's unofficial attending leaders list:
MAJOR OIL PRODUCERS
Fossil fuels are some of the main contributors to global warming, according to scientists. These nine nations account for around 44 percent of the world's proven oil reserves: [REUTERS, Emphasis Mine]
* Angola
* Azerbaijan
* Iraq
* Kazakhstan
* Libya
* Oman
* Qatar (world's highest emissions per capita)
* Saudi Arabia (world's largest oil producer)
* UAE
ISLAND NATIONS
With melting icebergs comes rising sea levels, and low-lying island nations are amongst those expected to be worst hit. Although most island nations are represented by the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), these are some notable ones whose leaders are not listed as attending: [REUTERS, Emphasis Mine.]
* Antigua & Barbuda
* Barbados
* Cape Verde
* Cuba
* Fiji
* Jamaica
* Solomon Islands
* Tonga
LATIN AMERICA
The Latin American contribution to global emissions has grown in recent years due to a rise in widespread deforestation. According to the World Bank, Latin America is home to the world's most carbon-absorbing tropical forests[REUTERS, Emphasis Mine].
* Argentina (second largest Latin American country by area)
* Chile
* Costa Rica (pledged to be carbon neutral by 2021)
* Ecuador
* El Salvador
* Honduras
* Nicaragua
* Paraguay
* Peru
* Uruguay
OTHER NOTABLE ABSENCES
* Switzerland - The mountainous country is one of the world's richest per capita, but melting glaciers threatens its tourism industry and raises the risk of landslides.
* Ukraine - One of the world's top 20 polluters, Ukraine has billions of Kyoto Protocol emissions rights that could be rendered worthless by the talks. The Vice Prime Minister is attending.
* Italy - An attack on Sunday left Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi with a broken nose and teeth. His environment minister is attending in his place.
Source: United Nations, www.cia.gov, IEA
Green BusinessItalyCOP15"----REUTERS
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