“No grand idea was ever born in a conference, but a lot of foolish ideas have died there.” — F. Scott Fitzegerald

As expected, the Climate Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, was nearly a total fiasco without any substantive accord being signed, and no new breakthroughs in the gas emissions (CO2, carbon dioxide) issue.

At least, people from rich and poor countries alike are now aware of climate change and the growing menace of global warming and greenhouse effects.

Awareness was the best thing that happened in Copenhagen, and not much more.

For us laymen, there was hope and expectation that an accord or treaty would be signed by nearly all the leaders of the member nations of the UN, who had trekked to snow-bound Copenhagen to be seen and ready to sign a treaty that never happened.

The United States balked amid hesitations from Brazil, Russia, India, and China, and opposition from developing nations that felt left out and ignored by the industrial economies, and snubbed by US President Barack Obama.

In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol was passed in Kyoto, Japan, which bound rich economies to specific cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

Alas, the world powers, especially the United States, merely paid lip service, and nothing happened. Hence, Copenhagen.

These emissions come from burning fossil fuels, such as, coal, oil, natural gas, deforestation, and slash-and-burn agriculture, that, unless reduced dramatically in the next decades, will endanger not only the peoples of the world but conceivably also the planet itself.

Thus, the optimistic expectation of the Copenhagen climate summit was for the governments of the world, especially the wealthy economies, to agree and aim to cut gas emissions in half, from 1990 levels, by 2050, which will also mean changing global infrastructure investments and political will to boot.

Thus far, the world’s leading emitters of gas into the atmosphere, that is, the worst pollutants, are the United States, China, Russia, and India, and for deforestation, Brazil and Indonesia.

Manila, which is one of the most polluted cities in the world, is like that since the Philippines uses cheaper, “dirtier,” heavier, high-sulphur crude oil from Saudi Arabia rather than the “cleaner” but more expensive, “sweet” light crude from countries, such as, Brunei, North Sea, West Africa, and South America.

Wherefore, the original concept and proposition, as initiated by China, which is fast industrializing but considers itself a developing economy, were for developed and wealthy economies to cut emissions by 40 percent by 2020, and ante up $300 billion in assistance to the world, especially poor nations, towards reducing emissions.

Both ideas were dropped like a hot potato. That is why Copenhagen was organized to save the impasse.

The fact is that greenhouse gases, i.e., carbon dioxide, the gas responsible for the global warming, usually remain in the atmosphere for centuries.

The planet earth is now warmer by more than 0.5 degrees Celsius.

If nothing is done and warming rises 5 degrees Celsius, the ice sheets in the Arctic Ocean, Himalayas, Tibet, Greenland, and Antartica will melt, and being exposed to direct sunlight, will raise sea levels causing massive floods to low-lying agriculture-dependent poor nations.

If all carbon dioxide emissions were theoretically and miraculously eradicated today, it would take several centuries for the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to go down to pre-Industrial Revolution levels.

It should also be noted that diesel accounts for 35 percent of black carbon emissions worldwide, and the 65 percent is accounted for by forest fires, cooking, heating, organic fuels, and other biomass materials.

International cooperation is important, coordination is vital, and financial aid and technology transfer from developed economies to poor nations are urgent; and shared responsibilities must be deployed.

It is reckoned that at the current rate of global warming, the earth’s temperature may go out of control.

Climate change should now be taken seriously for it is later than we think.

You be the judge, (For comments and views, please e-mail: chaff_fromthegrain@yahoo.com.ph)

(“Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our friends and loyal readers we resume Tuesday, January 5, 2010.”)