Last year this time all eyes of the Sustainability / CSR world where looking towards Copenhagen for the big event of 2009, the United Nations Climate Change conference COP 15. For me it was the most important Sustainability event of 2009. It also was meant to be a starting point for the new age of climate change awareness and the time for all of us to come together and co-ordinate the first real steps to tackle climate change together on a global scale.
In my view the result of COP 15 was a real disappointment. If you can call it a result at all.
Fast forward one year: Last week COP 16 in Cancun, Mexico took place. And late on Saturday an agreement was reached after yet again bitter disputes and threats by members to derail everything.
Here are some reactions from across the web about the COP 16:
My view
First take a look at this picture and tell me what you think:
Photograph: IIDS taken from the Guardian website here.
This is the Chris Huhne at the Cancún summit looking rather puzzled if I may say.
In my view this picture can be seen as being typical for the mood at the COP 16: Leaders from across the globe are still confused how to move forward in order to tackle Climate Change. To many agendas and interests are still interfering with the main purpose of the United Nations Climate Change conferences which is to help bring global climate change action on a successful path.
And there is another significant difference to last year. Everything is much more low key and no real heads of state were bothered to attend the COP 16. This is another sign that right from the start, the COP 16 seems to have been situated very low on the 2010 agenda for the biggest emitters of this world such as China and the US. Where is the leadership? Where is the passion that was present in Copenhagen? Climate Change is to important to delegate to your peers.
For me this is really the main message from the past week of COP 16 in Cancun: COP 16 was nothing more then a talking shop it seems. An event where not much other then agreements of what should be done to tackle climate change where passed again and an event where heads of state dare not show up and help to a more significant outcome.
Thank you for wasting another crucial year in which we could have made significant progress in order to tackle climate change. I am not trying to be negative here but this what my feeling is looking the results of the COP 16. Yet another wasted opportunity……………
2011 will be a very different year in comparison to 2010 for my family and me. We recently moved to Germany and we are all looking forward to a very successful 2011 in our new home.