The curtain has fallen on the Copenhagen summit with no firm United Nations accords. However, the leaders of the United States, China, India and Brazil have agreed in principle to limit the increase in global temperature to a maximum of two degrees Celsius. The European Union stands by its decision to limit greenhouse gas emissions to 20% by 2020 compared to 1990 levels.

By Ekko van Ierland
 
Although developing countries are still not satisfied by the outcome of the summit, there is now the prospect of limiting the negative effects on the climate. Moreover, huge sums will be released, in addition to the money spent on development cooperation, to reduce damage from climate change (such as starvation due to drought which is now visible in Africa, or destruction of houses due to flooding).
 
New opportunities
The US, the European Union, India and China take the issue of climate change very seriously and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (whom I had the opportunity to meet personally in Beijing when he was still deputy prime minister) is willing to take concrete steps in years to come, even though CO2 emissions per capita in China are low in comparison to the US and Europe.
 
Despite the absence of a new formal UN treaty, we are at a turning point in history, now that the international community has decided to make a real transition to sustainable energy and to an economy that produces less carbon dioxide. This decision provides new opportunities for industries which are already strong in sustainable energy, including production of solar cells, wind and hydropower.
 
Similarly, we can produce more energy by converting the sun's rays into electrical power, for example in southern Europe or North Africa. Africa can become a producer of electricity from solar energy and sustainable use of biomass (for example plant remains or cow manure) for biogas production.
 
More insightful
This revolution will not happen without a fight and will involve a substantial financial commitment. This commitment can be made manageable by reducing the cost of energy for fossil fuels and because sustainable energy will be increasingly cheaper in the future. We will achieve economies of scale and we will be more discerning, for example in the use of solar energy. The old energy facilities will be replaced by new technologies. It will be necessary to adjust energy prices and activities that require high levels of energy, for example by limiting air traffic to a bare minimum. We should make use of biofuels in planes or compensate for CO2 emissions in a sustainable way, such as reforestation.
 
Obviously it was not possible in Copenhagen to reach a treaty that regulates the climate problem directly and definitely. In the coming years, climate policy will really start to take shape. However, what has come out of the summit is clear: an increasing number of countries around the world are aware that we must address the problem of global warming and are willing to contribute to that in a major way. With new technologies, better control over population growth and modifying our lifestyles, change is definitely possible.
 
Photo: Francesco Cavallari at Flickr