Chemical Footprint of COP15
December nights in Denmark are bitterly cold, and winter is not the peak tourist season here. However, nearly 20,000 people from all over the world have been flocking to this Nordic country with a population of just over 5 million in recent days.
They (including BBC Chinese reporters) were there to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference (the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) to be held in Copenhagen from December 7 to 18.
The main purpose of this conference was to discuss how to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, but with tens of thousands of people coming from all corners of the world, the question of whether the conference itself was environmentally friendly has attracted some media attention.
In 2007, former US Vice President Al Gore launched Live Earth, a global tour concert aimed at promoting environmental protection. While it received applause, it also drew considerable criticism. At the time, many environmentalists pointed out that the large number of singers traveling around the world by plane to perform already generated a significant amount of carbon dioxide, the so-called "carbon footprint."
40,000 tons of carbon footprint
Perhaps because of past lessons, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has placed special emphasis on reducing the "carbon footprint" of the Copenhagen Climate Conference this time.
The UNFCCC initially estimates that the climate conference, which lasted less than two weeks, will generate more than 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide.
These greenhouse gas emissions mainly come from two sources: the transportation used by participants to and from the conference (such as airplanes and cars), and the various wastes and energy consumed during the conference.
In a notice posted online, the organizers pledged to minimize greenhouse gas emissions at the venue during the conference, for example, by implementing energy-saving measures.
However, when a reporter asked a UN staff member at the conference entrance information desk if he knew what emission reduction measures the General Assembly had taken, the young man shook his head apologetically and said, "We don't have much information on that."
Leading by example
On the other hand, the conference also called on every participant to take practical action, use the most environmentally friendly methods and means of transportation to attend the conference, drink tap water to reduce waste of plastic bottles, and save paper.
Tapas, a member of the Sri Lankan environmental group Resource Centre for Sustainable Development (SDRC) who attended the meeting, said that they sent only four members to the meeting and they all stayed in the same hotel room.
Tapas also pointed out, "The heat generated by the four of us in the room can even replace the heating, thus saving the energy consumed by turning on the heating. In addition, by sharing a car, we have minimized our carbon footprint as much as possible."
In addition to encouraging participants to conserve energy, this year's Copenhagen Climate Conference also broke with tradition by not distributing gifts and bags to participants, which perfectly aligns with the conference's call for conservation.
Furthermore, the $800,000 saved from this move will be converted into scholarships to support 11 students around the world to study two-year master's programs related to climate change in Denmark free of charge.
Sri Lankan environmental group member Tapas pointed out: "Although this conference will indeed produce a lot of carbon dioxide, we believe that the results achieved will far outweigh the waste gas generated."
– Reference source: BBC Chinese website, 2009-12-08
More information about the COP15 carbon footprint can be found on the UNFCCC website.
http://unfccc.int/press/fact_sheets/items/5055.php
