Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
New deal depends on Obama: delegates
Many pin hopes on arrival of U.S. president
Many delegates believe the arrival of Obama and the other leaders here will provide clarity as to whether the UN talks, meant to chart a course for lessening the impact of global climate change, will succeed or fail.
Late Thursday night, nothing about the outcome was clear.
Twenty-eight countries from key blocs at UN climate talks in Copenhagen, mostly represented by leaders, began late-night negotiations to hammer out a draft agreement.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was also participating in the talks, likely to continue deep into this morning, when more than 130 heads of state and government will convene in a climate summit.
The summit was scheduled to conclude today, with Obama present, but delegates said a deal was unlikely to be agreed upon until Saturday.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a low-key arrival to Copenhagen on Thursday, leaving Canada's environment minister to make the country's key address at a high-level assembly Thursday evening.
"A new global agreement should consist of a single, comprehensive undertaking that includes measurable, reportable and verifiable commitments and actions covering the vast majority of greenhouse gas emissions in developed and in developing countries," federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice said.
Some heads of state -- such as U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd -- addressed the high-level meeting of world leaders, environment ministers and negotiators themselves. But others, including Japan and the United States, sent their top envoys or cabinet ministers to speak to the assembly of almost 200 countries.
Harper attended a gala dinner with the Queen of Denmark and other world leaders, said spokesman Andrew MacDougall. Harper did not speak to reporters.
Canada has shown no sign it will move from policy positions it has repeated since Day 1 of the talks, nor move from its target of 20 per cent emissions reductions from 2006 levels by 2020.
Canada has been criticized for signing the 1997 Kyoto Protocol and then not living up to the agreement. Critics have also said this country has not shown it is committed to introducing more incentives for renewable energy.
The oilsands have been the target of protests almost every day of the conference. Throughout the course of the talks, Canada has laid low -- avoiding many big media events or public side meetings.
"That's an entirely strategic choice to make," said John Drexhage, a former Canadian negotiator who now analyzes climate policy for the Institute for Sustainable Development.
"Canada's had some trouble."
In its defence, Ottawa points to more than $3 billion in carbon-capture and storage spending, a rapidly growing population, and an energy-intensive climate.
Canada's dilemma includes the fact that the Copenhagen talks have seen the continuing discussion of the Kyoto Protocol, meaning that eventually two agreements could result.
One would be for the countries that originally ratified Kyoto, and one for others -- including the U.S. and China. Canada is concerned that would put it dangerously out-of-step with its major trading partner. Canada also faces possible penalties in the tens of billions of dollars for not meeting its obligations under Kyoto.
-- Canwest News Service
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 18, 2009 A13
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