I went to Copenhagen, to fight for a fair, ambitious and legally binding treaty. I went to fight for global democracy.

The European rhetoric has flown very high at Copenhagen. Now that an agreement has not been found, will Europe be able to still lead the way and pass from word to fact? Is trade sanctions for polluting goods a solution? Or will we continue hiding behind our weaknesses?

The UN Conference on Climate Change which took place in Copenhagen between the 7th and 18th of December 2009 ended in failure. The EU has not been an important player during the Summit. Catherine Ashton, Van Rumpoy and Barroso cannot represent the EU.

The UN Conference on Climate Change has started yesterday (7th of December 2009) in the Danish capital. As the Kyoto protocol will terminate by the end of 2012, this summit will be fundamental in order to find a new agreement on climate change. This article analyse the firs two days of the Copenhagen Summit.

Carbon trading is a complex system which sets itself a simple goal: tomake it cheaper for companies and governments to meet emissions
reduction targets.

Due to environmental degradation there are likely to be severe water shortages in many parts of Africa, and 67 million more people could be at risk of malaria epidemics by the 2080s. If we will not fight climate change the gap between rich and poor will rise and water scarcity will soon become a new reason for war.

20 leaders meeting in Singapore cannot steal a decision from the world. Climate change is the most spectacular of demonstrations of the desperate need for a new paradigm of global decision making, intrisically based on multilateralism and reasoning across national interest.

This interactive, dynamic debate takes place in the context of rising concern about climate change, and takes place just before the crucial meeting at Copenhagen of the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

Next December the United Nations Climate Change Conference will take place in Copenhagen. This will be a fundamental summit to find a new international agreement on climate change. The US and the European Union have a central role to play in the negotiations, and a particular responsibility towards developing countries. But political short-sight might transform the appointment into the living proof of the incapacity of today’s leaders to stand up to the global challenges they face.

The European Union agreed to set aside up to 15 billion euros per year to facilitate a green transition in developing countries. However, no agreement was reached on actually how to spend the money. The EU needs to stop bickering, stop prioritising the competitiveness of its companies, and stand up to its claims of global leadership on fighting climate change.