Waiting for What?

Through much of 2009, the world waited for political leaders to convene at a climate summit in Copenhagen. In turn, many of these leaders waited for others to lead the way in declaring emissions targets and other political strategies for responding to climate change. Overall, 2009 was a year in which the world waited for a new program of action to emerge. Some held high expectations of likely comprehensive agreements. Some expected that the Copenhagen Summit would provide a venue for intense political bargaining. Many believed that a raft of linked agreements would emerge from what was expected to be one of the most important meetings of government leaders since the first international climate change discussions of the 1980s. Even those with relatively modest expectations anticipated the likely negotiation of parameters for a new global climate change agenda. Few expected that this cornerstone event in 21st-century political leadership would result in so little. The Copenhagen Climate Summit provided no substantive new emissions targets, no new international standards or strategies and no new political alliances or coalitions of interests to support subsequent initiatives.