More reactions to Copenhagen

I've blogged a lot about climate change, but I'm no expert -- either in climate science or in public policy. So there's not much reason to listen to me when I suggest that "[w]e don't need to wait for a global agreement to begin reducing greenhouse gas emissions now." But there are people who know a lot about public policy who have come to the same conclusion. I mentioned a couple in my earlier post. Here are two more.

The first is an excerpt from a long post analyzing the Copenhagen Accord by Robert Stavins, Director of the Harvard Environmental Economics Program, and Chairman of the Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Group at Harvard.

The climate change policy process is best viewed as a marathon, not a sprint.  The Copenhagen Accord - depending upon details yet to be worked out - could well turn out to be a sound foundation for a Portfolio of Domestic Commitments, which could be an effective bridge to a longer-term arrangement among the countries of the world.  We may look back upon Copenhagen as an important moment - both because global leaders took the reins of the procedures and brought the negotiations to a fruitful conclusion, and because the foundation was laid for a broad-based coalition of the willing to address effectively the threat of global climate change.  Only time will tell.

The second is an excerpt from an essay about the Copenhagen Accord by David Doniger, Policy Director for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The Copenhagen climate deal that President Obama hammered out Friday night with the leaders of China, India, Brazil and South Africa broke through years of negotiating gridlock to achieve three critical goals.  First, it provides for real cuts in heat-trapping carbon pollution by all of the world's big emitters.  Second, it establishes a transparent framework for evaluating countries' performance against their commitments.  And third, it will also start an unprecedented flow of resources to help poor and vulnerable nations cope with climate impacts, protect their forests, and adopt clean energy technologies.

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So give up the sour and grudging reviews.  The Copenhagen Accord is a significant breakthrough that signals a new era of effective cooperation between all major emitters, and opens the door to finally enacting U.S. climate and energy legislation next year. (emphasis added)