Dr. Anita Halvorssen Reports From the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen

Dr. Anita Halvorssen, an adjunct professor at the Sturm College of Law, is reporting from Copenhagen about the proceedings at the UN Climate Change Conference for the Prof. Ved Nanda Center for the Study of International law and accredited by the American Society of International Law. Dr. Halvorssen's third report from the conference follows:

Just one hour wait in the cold today, to get into the Bella Center, getting in the queue by 6:45am. Not just NGOs, but even nations states' delegates, from Indonesia and Russia, among others, have been turned away in the last couple of days because the Bella Center has been packed to capacity.

Attending one of the many Side Events, I went to one that covered energy access and poverty alleviation focusing on reducing vulnerability and increasing resilience. One of the slides in the presentation showed projections for Africa and Asia having the largest mortality rates as a result of climate change – quite disturbing. Down one of the hallway there was a commotion. It was the indigenous peoples protesting that their needs have to be taken into account in the climate change negotiation. They were headed for the exit.

For lunch I was joined by two of Tanzania’s delegates. We were discussing the news regarding the finance for developing countries mitigation and especially adaptation that is being discussed at the high level meetings. The EU had mentioned over seven billion Euro’s, whereas Africa has stated that five hundred billion dollars is what is needed. We talked about the situation in Tanzania. They get a lot of their energy from hydro power and the water levels in the reservoirs are sinking due to drought.

Another side event I attended was a presentation about the United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (UN-REDD Programme) with a case study from Guatemala. The government is establishing the legal framework for a REDD program, which include the Rainforest Alliance and other NGOs. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is also involved, focusing on conservation and improved forest management. One of the problems for Guatemala is that in the biosphere areas there is still deforestation going on.

Many of the press conferences and speeches by the heads of state are streamed live over the ‘UNFCCC.int’ website. U.S. Senator John Kerry, Democrat-Massachusett, for instance, stated in a press conference at the Bella Center that carbon pricing is inevitable if we are to tackle climate change, whether it be in the form of a tax or carbon trading. Many NGO participants have not gotten tickets, me included, for the plenary meetings, so they watch them on big and small screens all over the Bella Center. The small island states, in their speeches at the plenary meeting are one after the other practically begging for funding.

Pictures from Copenhagen:

Youth protesting in the atrium













Participants watching live coverage of plenary meeting











Tanzanian delegates














Plenary Room II: Meeting of COP15