Day 8: Report from Reed Smith Delegates in Copenhagen at the United Nations Climate Change Conference
This post was written by Larry Demase.
After a relatively quiet weekend (in which we took a two-day blogging break), tempers flared as today was a day of protest at the COP.
First, observer-delegate protests. Protestors - including a group of activists dressed as polar bears urging the talks to “save the humans” - inside the Bella Center delayed registration and attendance: five thousand delegate hopefuls were queued up outside the Bella Center trying to get in at 2 p.m., most having waited in the weather since 7:30 a.m. this morning.
Then, party-delegate protests. For five hours today (Monday), just four days before world leaders are due to forge a deal in Copenhagen, African countries backed by 135 developing countries including China and India staged a boycott of negotiations claiming rich nations are trying to avoid new, legally binding promises by ditching the Kyoto Protocol; the boycott ended when rich nations assured the Africans they were willing to discuss Kyoto commitments However, precious time was lost – in a week where there was already no time to spare (see blog posts from last week re key negotiators’ lament for “more time”).
Are businesses ready for climate change? A recent analysis of the 300 largest global companies by market capitalization reveals a high level of unmitigated climate-change risk, despite some improvements during the past year. Of the 1,000 largest U.S. companies by market cap, only 8.4 percent have stated environmental policies that address emissions of greenhouse gases. Recognizing this, the COP is trying to bring in business and share knowledge and viewpoints. Over the weekend, Jennifer Smokelin of Reed Smith attended the “Bright Green Expo” at the Copenhagen Forum – a showcase and information sharing opportunity of European (with some US) companies’ leadership on clean energy, with ceremonies being opened by statements from the Danish Prime minister and US Secretary of Commerce. And free Segue rides.
One day before, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) - World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) hosted a Business Day event at the Copenhagen Climate Conference, which was very well attended with executives of multinational corporations including Coca-Cola and Unilever. Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretariat of the UNFCCC, told a meeting of corporate CEOs that the international climate change discussion was currently carried out between governments, with little involvement from the business world. He said the challenge for corporate leaders was to “make yourself relevant” to what happens at the U.N. climate conference, where negotiators from 192 countries are hammering out the details of a global warming pact. However, the business community points back at government today, calling for leadership. In an interview today, the Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce, the world business association, Jean Rozwadowski said “At one point, there were many that thought that the economic crisis would push climate issues down on the global agenda. However, there are many indications that this is not the case. The need for global leadership after the crisis is enormous. And a global climate agreement is a way for the world’s governments to demonstrate such leadership,” (as reported by the Danish business newspaper Børsen.). One thing is clear: If there is a framework agreed to at the COP, businesses will have to get ready, fast – with help of expertise from people in the “know”. And these events (like the one Reed Smith attended) help share the knowledge and make connections.
