The talks that began yesterday in Copenhagen have been heralded by many around the world as a defining moment in the huge debate over climate change. These high expectations may soon be crushed as leaders at the conference are becoming increasingly pessimistic as to their ability to reach an agreement.
The evidence of climate change is everywhere, from rising sea levels to melting glaciers to increasing temperatures right here at Tufts. On Dec. 3 the people of Boston warmed themselves in record−high temperatures that reached 69 degrees. The warm spell was brief, followed within 48 hours by a winter storm that dumped between three and five inches of snow on the city. The timing of the weather swings provided the perfect backdrop for a conference on climate change.
“Copenhagen is upon us, or we are upon it,” said Professor William Moomaw, director of the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and the energy and climate director of the Tufts Institute of the Environment.
The inflated optimism surrounding the summit was due in large part to the election of President Obama. Countries around the world that had been disheartened by the United States’ refusal to accept the Kyoto Protocol’s carbon emissions guidelines hoped that Obama would change direction.
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