The Refinishing Touch Blog

As the UN’s Climate Change Conference went into its second week, talks were halted when developing nations and developed nations reached an impasse that caused African countries to pull out of the conference in protest. Their protest was supported by the major developing nations such as China and India. Luckily both groups were able to come to a resolution through informal talks that brought the conference back on track.

The cause of the dispute was whether to extend the agreement made under the Kyoto Protocols in which rich nations would be subject to penalties for not complying with strict emissions limits while poorer nations were free from any such penalties. One of the major concerns coming from the talks is how countries with vastly different resources will be able to conform to the same rules, and this brief boycott is proof that negotiations don’t always go smoothly.

Some solutions that have been proposed include programs that allow international partners to provide funds to developing nations for clean energy technology such as solar power alternatives and cleaner appliances.

Although the conference has seen its fair share of ups and downs, there is still promising evidence that all participating countries are willing to sit down and negotiate. All eyes stay on Copenhagen and the leaders gathered there must come together now to find a solution for the future.