Marred by a series of failed meetings and unkept promises, there is a growing concern on whether the approach taken currently to strike a global climate deal would ultimately bear fruitful results.
Impact of Domestic Politics
The domestic political situations and industry lobbying have not augured well for governments trying to implement climate-friendly policies. On the home turf, many powerful stakeholders in the climate deal, had to back-track because of intense opposition from rival political groups. Unlike last year at Copenhagen where the participation of the ‘big’ and ‘powerful’ was seen during climate talks, this year seems quite uncertain leaving such crucial meetings void of any strong leadership.
Failed Financial Commitments
The developing nations have shown a mixed response towards towing a climate-agenda in their respective countries. The oft-asked question – “Where is the money on table?” – takes discussions to a sensitive note as developed nations have not yet come up with financial commitments made at Copenhagen. Discussions based on historical figures do have strong merit but what remains to be seen is the time left for us to act. Politicians do understand that global warming needs urgent attention but action would come when demanded or enforced.
Need for a Climate-Movement
The top-down approach needs to be equally complimented by a bottom-up approach, where people demand a better environment and a sustainable future.
The survey strongly indicates that Cancun climate talks would not yield a ‘big deal’ and that the governments would most likely take a ‘cold stand’ because of the unfavorable political equations back at home. The most likely outcome expected by respondents is a financial architecture for climate funding.
The survey also indicates the dampening role played by the global economic disorder on climate negotiations. There is a mixed response to whether Cancun would be able to bridge the gap between developed and developing nations.
About the Survey
The survey conducted by ThinktoSustain.com – a knowledge portal on sustainable development initiatives… focused on gaining an insight into peoples’ opinions about climate change talks. The survey focused on various dimensions addressing factors influencing the negotiation process and the expectations from Cancun climate talks.
The survey collected opinions from respondents working on or closely related to environmental issues. The respondents were from diverse professional backgrounds – government advisors, scientists, researchers, development professionals, policy experts, administrators, economists, journalists, lawyers, engineers, consultants, climate-campaigners, MBA students, etc.
The survey was widely propagated through online media to thousands of environment-concerned individuals and received responses from around 80 countries.
Click here to see the detailed survey findings.
For more information, contact:
ThinktoSustain.com
Research & Policy Division
E-mail: research@thinktosustain.com
