The Sunday Supplement

The general feeling surrounding last weeks talks was that it fell short of what was needed, especially in the area of carbon emissions. A draft agreement put forward by China and backed by several other strong counties commits the world to preventing teperatures rising above another 2C.

China comes across as being both procative and protective in the area and has been accussed by some delegates as blocking the introduction of controlled emissions.

One can image how hard it must prove to co-ordinate 130 countries in this area especially when new world powers like China and India are striving for the consumerism that gripped the West in the last decade. The accord was formally recognised in dramatic fashion from the point of collapse. Brazil and the African nations also thrated efforts by the rich nations to steamroller their interests.

The Copenhagen accord is unsuprisingly not legally binding and only acts as a political statement. The urgency of climate change was not considered. It does however provide a framework and a promise to give poorer nations up to $30 Bn to cope with climate change and preserves the Kyoto protocol.

Countries must now register their planned emissions cuts by the end of January and the delegation will meet again in Bonn in May and convene on 7 December 2010 in Mexico to seal a legal treaty.

Listening to experts in Ireland I personally hold hope for the power of wind farms and the further development in technology - perhaps electrical car manufacturing. We must worry though about the fact of increased rainfall and flooding. I hate to think our ignorance will cost many lives and livlihoods in future generations.

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