Ministers Discuss Climate Change In Copenhagen This Week

On 16-17 November, the Danish minister for climate and energy is hosting a preview to the high-profile conference in United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change meeting in Copenhagen in early December.

Over 40 countries are participating in this week’s event, according to a Danish ministry document [pdf], including large economies such as Brazil, China, European nations, India, and the United States, but also smaller countries such as Lesotho, Mali, and the Maldives.

The event is similar to one held every year before the annual climate conference: an identical meeting was held last year before the climate change conference in Poznan, according to the Danish ministry press service.

The conference is an opportunity for ministers to discuss key issues and prepare ground for the outcome at the Copenhagen conference.

But despite Danish optimism for the Copenhagen meeting, some of the thunder was stolen from the meeting this weekend. The New York Times has reported that US President Obama and other world leaders, alongside the weekend meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, said a fully binding agreement would not be in order in Copenhagen but rather would be pushed to a potential second summit in Mexico City later on. The Copenhagen UNFCCC meeting is now hoped to be a step forward in the negotiations.