Victor Hollenberg ’10 & Lucas Hammerman ’10
Editor-in-Chief and News Editor

Representatives from 192 nations came together in Copenhagen, Denmark at the United Nations Climate Change Conference from Dec. 11–18 with the intention to come to an agreement on a new framework for climate change mitigation after the current framework expires.

There are substantial policy differences between the participating countries.

While the European Union, which negotiates as a unit, is unconditionally willing to reduce its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions 20 percent from 1990 levels, the United States’ negotiating team is currently pushing for a reduction of 1.3 percent over the same time period.

Taking place in the face of renewed accusations that scientists are exaggerating the extent of global warming, the conference has attracted significant amounts of criticism from climate skeptics and global warming scholars alike.

While developing nations, particularly China and India, perceive that wealthier countries are threatening to impose an unattainable and economically harmful goal for emission reductions, nations that are directly threatened by climate change are alleging that any proposed plans do not go far enough to mitigate climate change.