The latest from Copenhagen comes from the the G77, a group of 77 developing nations that includes India and China. According to Annie Shattuck of Food First:
The U.S has indicated it would support limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius, a level that the top UN scientific body, the IPCC, says would effectively warm Africa 3.5 degrees on average - a level of warming the G77 is now calling a "death sentence."
I have to say I agree with Africa on that. The G77 is calling for limiting temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius. As Annie notes, this has a lot to do with food:
The demand - "1.5 to Stay Alive" - is especially salient in the context of the food crisis. Without significant, genuine, immediate action, the world's food systems, and especially those of Africa, will suffer significant water shortages and crop failure. With over 1 billion hungry people in the world, "1.5 to Stay Alive" is an imperative we cannot afford to underestimate.
In an email to me, Annie also said "Ag is getting fast-tracked and the text on it will be sealed by tonight." In other words, stay tuned for news about agriculture in Copenhagen. |
