The Copenhagen Accordion
(Accordion - a small instrument through which hot air is squeezed.)
That’s my own definition of an otherwise respectable musical instrument, but the pun is irresistible – at Copenhagen we expected the harmony of a great orchestra and got the tinny notes of a cheap squeezebox. It’s hard to be pleased when an activist and patriot of the stature of Bill McKibben says "This is a declaration that small and poor countries don't matter, that international civil society doesn't matter, and that serious limits on carbon don't matter. The president has wrecked the UN and he's wrecked the possibility of a tough plan to control global warming. It may get Obama a reputation as a tough American leader, but it's at the expense of everything progressives have held dear. 189 countries have been left powerless, and the foxes now guard the carbon henhouse without any oversight. It may not be that cut and dried, China too appears to have wielded the wrecker’s ball, but the major work is left undone; we have merely agreed to do what we had already agreed to do. Copenhagen had to happen – but whether it made things easier or harder only time will tell.
And Canada was no help either, declaring its coat-string dependence on the actions of the United States. Despite a notional adherence to the goal of not exceeding two degrees warming, summing the best commitments on the table (which as of this moment are not binding) would produce a 3.9 degree rise by 2100. So the science tells us 1 to 1.5 degrees, the best we can imagine is 2 degrees, and the actual commitments lead inexorably higher, 4 degrees or more. We all know by now what this implies. Various forms of collapse. The big question is then, knowing this, was the failure motivational enough to seed the new and necessary political movement from which a resolution can arise? I think so. We should all think so. It is the work of this century.
There will be lots written and said in the coming weeks and months about this uber-disappointment and its future ramifications, but meanwhile it’s Xmas and we all need some time out for relaxation, distraction and refuelling. Canadian film-maker James Cameron has timed the release of his new blockbuster “Avatar” to serve our needs. It’s a metaphorical journey through nature lost and nature recovered. It is glorious to watch and it is emotionally uplifting. If movies are the vehicle of cultural myth-making, then this is one we need right now. Highly recommended, maximum number of stars. Seasons greetings to all. Bring on 2010.
