Climate Talks Begin in Copenhagen This Week

Journalists, environmental activists, and politicians have been converging on Copenhagen by the thousands in order to witness, what may be, the largest climate change talks in history. The week-long negotiations will come to head when leaders from all over the world meet to agree on standardised measures to curb emissions and aid less economically developed countries to do so as well.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown, along with Ed Miliband, will be in attendance at the UN climate talks in Copenhagen, which began yesterday, and it is hopeful that countries will reach a cordial agreement. The most pressing issue for the talks will be an agreement to curb emissions.

Scientists have agreed upon a world limit for how high temperatures can reach before becoming a threat to the environmental economy. That limit, which has been set at 2C, cannot be breached or the world could experience dangerous warming affects.

In order to maintain that temperature it has been made clear that countries must cut emissions rates by 25 to 40 percent over the next ten years. Additionally emissions must be cut by at least 80 percent by 2050 if dangerous global warming is to be avoided.

In the UK, preparations have been building in anticipation of the coming talks which commenced yesterday. The US, China, and India have all come on board as well with proposed cuts in emissions. However, one of the biggest topics at the climate talks will be funding underdeveloped nations which will need capital from richer nations to afford emission reductions.

Developing nations will need access to cash for adapting existing infrastructure, as well as access to newer technologies which can help to curb emissions in the long haul. Many believe that the UN Climate Change talks in Copenhagen this week will be instrumental if countries worldwide hope to avoid global catastrophe via global warming.