Analysis27 November

The Copenhagen climate summit gains political muscle, but still lacks scientific substance

The last round of pre-COP15 announcements by countries pivotal to closing a firm deal in Copenhagen have added political weight to a summit that was about to wither away. COP15 seemed to be about to flop, particularly after the unfortunate joint US-China statement in Singapore, during the APEC meeting.

Sergio Abranches More »

Analysis24 November

The road to Copenhagen looks a bit brighter

The preparatory measures towards Copenhagen are already important in themselves. For the first time several pivotal players are signaling cooperation, and effective commitment, rather than threatening to veto a deal.

Sergio Abranches

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Op-Ed20 November

Turning politically binding commitments into legally binding ones

Any deal in Copenhagen, no matter its level of detail, can only be a politically binding one. Would that really matter?

Sergio Abranches More »

Op-Ed18 November

Copenhagen: politics as usual, a fight over words rather than actions

President Obama said the Copenhagen deal should be comprehensive and effective, after his meeting with president Hu Jintao in China. His remarks raised some hopes that the Climate Summit in Denmark could still be saved, while others continue to say it will flop.

Sergio Abranches More »

Analysis15 November

Can the US Congress set the global climate change agenda?

APEC has become the opportunity for the US to try to recast the expectations about Copenhagen. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had already forewarned that the US was “100-percent committed to creating a framework agreement, not a legally binding treaty.”

Sergio Abranches More »

Analysis14 November

Brazil sets a target to reduce future carbon emissions by 2020

After months of political infighting Brazilian authorities have finally agreed last Friday to commit to a voluntary target to curb between 36 percent and 39 percent of projected emissions under a Business As Usual (BAU) scenario to 2020. It is a major political shift, although real carbon cuts could be much lower than the percentages seem to indicate.

Sergio Abranches More »