The first week of the Copenhagen climate summit is already over.  Yvo de Boer, UNFCCC executive secretary, gives us his daily press conference for Friday December 11th.

“Addressing the media at the end of the first week of the conference, Yvo de Boer spoke of “an important step-change in the negotiating process.” This follows the tabling of new texts this morning by the Chairs of the negotiating tracks under Kyoto Protocol and the Convention that provide the framework for an agreed outcome.  He said it is now time to focus on the big picture – namely, a shared vision on long-term cooperative action and what the long-term goal will be.”

In the plenery, the chairs of the two working groups presented papers that begin to capture the framework of what will be agreed upon at the end of the negotiations.  The underlying elements continue to be negotiated.  According to de Boer, one thing holding this process back has been lack of clarity on how short-term support wil be given to developing countries.  He also says Europe has now put a figure on the table.

Other groups want something far more aggressive as far as emissions cuts that are not even on the table.  The Klimaforum09 has been going on all week and they have  released a formal Declaration of their own, calling for massive emissions cuts “immediately”.  It’s a very interesting document and makes some great points.  You can download their declaration here. (PDF)  It’s titled,  System Change, not Climate Change. Confusing, because many people want a system change, but no one is calling for climate change.

If the declaration were followed, we’d have more of a chance of surviving climate change, that much is certain.  But there are also several problems with it, even thought it’s a big improvement on the formal documents from COP15 — so far.   The reason it’s a big improvement is because it gets to the heart of the problem – wars and over-consumption of resources are wrecking our planet and all life on it.  Consumption with no guilt and the growth of super-capitalism is going to be the end of all of us if it isn’t stopped. Cap and trade can’t even begin to fix these social problems.

But — reparations are in the document and they will never happen, and shouldn’t.  Climate change money should be saved for aid, medical care, rescue operations, food, water, transportation and refugee facilities.  Those things alone could cost billions a year.  Money should also go towards technology and new renewable energy installations in poor and developing countries.  Reparations are not necessary if all the needs of the poorer countries are met in adapting to or surviving climate change.  Climate change migration will be a huge problem, and borders will therefore be a huge problem. We have to get governments to recognize that opening borders more, not less, makes the most sense.

The declaration is almost anti-technology in nature, insinuating technology itself is a ‘false solution’.  Whoever [...]