If you haven't been watching Democracy Now's coverage of Copenhagen for the past two weeks you'd think that the US is so far ahead of every other country in wanting to address climate change that everyone is dragging their feet and we have to give them a kick in the butt to get things going.
Hillary Clinton's kick in the butt was an offer of 100 billion dollars ==and she said take the offer now as it was only on the table for 24 hours. This was blatant bullying to get poor nations to accept a result from the conference that would doom some island states within a period of a few years, and add greatly to instability in other parts of the world due to crop failures as a result of weather instability.
To put it most simply--
350 is the number that leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide—measured in "Parts Per Million" in our atmosphere. 350 PPM—it's the number humanity needs to get back to as soon as possible to avoid runaway climate change.
Results from Copenhagen--770 ppm--and this is non-binding
(350.org)
Apparently, there were secret talks taking place at Copenhagen among the Big Guys--
Leaked Admission of Higher Temps Adds to Summit Uncertainty
The summit was shaken up Thursday after confidential UN documents showed the currently proposed emissions cuts would increase global temperatures by an average three degrees Celsius. The disclosure contradicts promises from world leaders to cap increases at two degrees. The new figure is double the 1.5 degrees called for by developing countries, which would require limiting C02 emissions at 350 parts per million. Jade Lindgaard of the French news website Mediapart broke the story yesterday on Democracy Now!
Jade Lindgaard: “A very interesting leak today from the UNFCCC secretariat showing that the targets of reduction emissions that countries now, today, are putting on the table, these targets do not allow to stay below two degree rise in temperature. And they even say that it could lead us to a rise of three degree in temperature, which is, as we know, catastrophic if that ever happens.”
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