Despite concerns that the US may enter the climate negotiations in Copenhagen this December with no laws in place to decrease emissions, the EU has remained optimistic. Next week in Spain, they will be working hard to come to an agreement on how to fund the environmental movements of developing countries, budgeting almost $150 billion annually to support improvements in technology and searches for cleaner sources of energy. Though they seek to establish some basic agreements on how to cut emissions, they are wary to establish any legally-binding deals for fear of “pre-empt[ing] further negotiations” in Copenhagen. Though the recession has drawn attention away from environmental concerns, delegates remain determined to come to an effective agreement in 2009, and not to push the decisions back to 2010 or later. “Time has almost run out,” noted Yvo de Boer, head of the UN Climate Change Secretariat. “In Barcelone, all countries must step back from self interst and let common interest prevail.
European leaders edge closer to agreement on global climate change funds
