Defining Success
Dutch diplomat Yvo de Boer, the United Nations official who is managing the talks, says short of a treaty, the conference will be a success in his view if delegates agree on the following:
— The rich nations of the world should pledge to reduce their emissions by a reasonable amount and set a timeline for achieving those goals.
— Rapidly industrializing nations, such as China and India, pledge to take measures to address climate change, even though those will likely fall short of actually reducing their overall emissions.
— Developed nations put forth a substantial sum of money that can be distributed immediately to the world's poorest countries so they can start adapting to a changing climate.
— Nations should start to figure out a long-term mechanism for providing larger amounts of financial support to developing nations so they can undertake climate-friendly activities such as restoring forests and developing clean sources of energy.
But like a lot of things surrounding this conference, there's no agreement on what success at Copenhagen will look like.
