Our evangelical voice in Copenhagen Post #2
December 15, 2009
One in a series of updates from Rev. Jim Ball of EEN from Copenhagen where he is attending the international climage change talks. This one was sent Tuesday, December 15, 2009.
Good afternoon from Copenhagen,
Yesterday (Monday) the talks were suspended due to disagreements between the developing and developed countries, losing valuable time. Thankfully the negotiations have resumed. But some are worried that precisely because we have over 120 heads of state coming by Friday — including President Obama — the talks are “doomed to succeed.” What is meant by this is that a weak deal with plenty of loopholes will be announced as a major success to avoid the appearance of failure.
No one wants to be seen as the country or group that led to the failure of the talks. But a weak deal certainly will not be supported by those outside of government whom others turn to to confirm whether the deal is a good one or not — including climate-friendly businesses, environmental groups, national security groups, and faith groups.
So it remains to be seen whether whatever the countries are able to put together will find the support it needs. Of course, whatever political agreement is affirmed here will have to lead to a legally-binding treaty to be negotiated in Mexico City in 2010.
On our special concern with international adaptation funding, we’ve been told by a senior State Department official that the US won’t agree to specific long-term number. My view is that they won’t because they feel they can’t — and they feel this way in part because they haven’t built the support necessary in Congress. We have been doing this for several years and have achieved some limited success. But we need the Administration to provide leadership on this with Congress. My hope is that it will be crystal clear to both the Administration and Congress that without funding that meets the criteria agreed to by all the countries — i.e., funding must be “adequate, predictable, and sustainable …” and “new and additional” — there won’t be an international deal. Only in concert with an international deal will our domestic actions lead to a situation where we have started down the road of overcoming global warming.
And in so doing will we give glory to our Creator by loving God and our neighbor.
Rev. Jim Ball
from Copenhagen
Comments
Got something to say?
