Copenhagen Сlimate Тalks

COP15 was the fifteenth 'Conference of the Parties' (thus, COP) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The conference began on December 7 and ran through to December 18, 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The COP is the highest body of the UNFCCC and consists of environment ministers who meet once a year to discuss the convention’s developments. It was attended by 192 nations with 115 heads of government in attendance.

Ahead of the COP15 conference, the official Denmark website stated that the "the goals of the climate change convention are to stabilize the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere at a level that prevents dangerous man-made climate changes. This stabilization must occur in such a way as to give the ecosystems the opportunity to adapt naturally. This means that food safety must not be compromised, and that the potential to create sustainable social and economic development must not be endangered." It was widely agreed that there was little prospect of reaching final agreement on a post-Kyoto agreement at the COP15 meeting. Central to the prospects of reaching an agreement at COP15 was whether the developed Annex I countries, which have emitted the bulk of the human-induced carbon dioxide currently in the atmosphere, agree to deep binding cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

However, the conference failed to agree on a binding legal replacement to the Kyoto Protocol, with differences on key issues such as the magnitude of emissions reduction targets for developed countries, the nature of commitments from major developing countries, financing adaptation and technology transfer.

Answer the questions about the text and translate the text in writing.

A

1. What is the Kyoto Protocol?

2. What does the Kyoto Protocol require?

3. How are emission targets met?

4. What happens if a country fails to reach its Kyoto emissions target?

B

1. What are the potential barriers to a global deal?

2. What happens to industrial nations that fail to meet their Kyoto targets?

3. If there are so many industries and communities doing good work, why don’t we just rely on voluntary action to reduce emissions?

C

1. Will Kyoto force governments to divert money away from health care and other important priorities?

2. Is shifting to nuclear power a good way to reduce emissions and fight climate change?