1+-+Introduction

=The Central Issue=

The **__Copenhagen Climate Summit__** concluded more than 3 months ago on **18th December 2009** was, by general consensus, a failure on all fronts.

Despite hopes that it would produce a successor to the **Kyoto Protocol of 1997**, which set goals for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2012, the eventual agreement fell far short of expectations. The Copenhagen Accord was **not a legally-binding international agreement negotiated by the 192 member states of the United Nations**, but the product of a **meeting between 5 countries** – ** the United States, Brazil, South Africa, India and China **. It was **informally recognized** by the remaining member states, but it **failed to include specific targets for individual nations**, and **l****acked a verification mechanism** to ensure that all countries followed their promises through.

On the other hand, environmentalists have managed to draw a few positives from the Copenhagen Summit. All countries involved have **pledged to prevent global temperatures from rising above 2 degrees Celsius**, and to r **educe the rate of deforestation** via the REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation) mechanism. Therefore, even if the accord only requires countries to “take note” of it, ** failing to sign up and ratify the terms ** would deny them access to this fund.
 * __Developed countries__** have also agreed to raise ** USD $100 billion per year by 2020 ** to help developing countries **__advance into non-carbon-based industries__**.

There are many possible stances to take regarding this issue. Even world leaders are divided over the outcome; some choosing to regard it as “an important start” while others going as far as to term it “a disaster”. Various countries have also stepped up to blame others for the failure of the Copenhagen Summit.

//** __What are your views? Was it a complete failure? Who is at fault? Is anyone at fault? Is everyone at fault?__ **////** __Should financial or political gain ever be prioritized over sustainable development?__ **//