I want to start this blog with a review of the 2009 UN Climate Change Conference, or known commonly as the Copenhagen Summit. This summit is significant to the topic of U.S. foreign policy in regards to the environment and climate change, because it is the latest attempt to bring many nations together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Here is a some fast facts about the Summit:
- Leaders from 193 nations around the world met in December 2009
- Individual nations made commitments to lower their own impact global warming
- Did not make a binding international treaty to lower environmental impact– failing to meet a goal of reaching such an agreement by 2010
- Failed to name strict goals for lowering greenhouse gas emissions
- Obama said that of the Summit: “We’ve come a long way but we have much further to go.”
- EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the agreements fell “far short of our expectations”
Here is a slideshow of images from the Summit.
This information should be helpful as we continue to look at the relationship between the U.S. and the European Union in regards to climate change.
Source:
Photos:
Poster; World Leaders; Plenary; Obama; Prince Charles; Sarkozy; Protests; Comic
