Hopenhagen-Green groups expect?

But what are they demanding? Here is just a selection of some of the key NGO wishes for Copenhagen:

Friends of the Earth Europe believes that the EU, already the bloc with the most ambitious carbon cutting offer on the table, should set its sights on a 40% carbon cut by 2020 compared to 1990 levels. This is both “feasible and affordable”, the group says.

The Climate Action Network backs a 40% target, and says that an agreement should make sure that CO2 emissions peak “at some point between 2013 and 2017”. WWF agrees with a 40% CO2 cutting target, and says this should apply to all industrialized nations in the world. The group also wants “binding agreements” to help developing countries adapt to climate change.

Greenpeace also takes up the charge for poorer countries saying it believes that “the higher the level of economic development, emissions per capita and carbon intensity of economy, the greater the domestic effort of a country should be to reduce them and finance action.”

There are a whole range of other campaigns all aiming to get a strong deal at Copenhagen to secure a healthy future for our planet.

Hopenhagen is a petition that already has over 1,700,000 signatures from the world over. Seal the Deal, a United Nations backed petition, has nearly 440,000 signatures and 1,229,101 people have “voted Earth” in a WWF petition asking for a ‘breakthrough’ agreement with ambitious targets to limit global warming to 2°C – the level scientists say will prevent dangerous climate change.

At the summit itself green groups are staging various protests and activities. CAN is awarding a daily “fossil of the day” prize to the country or countries doing the most to obstruct a climate agreement. On Tuesday, Industrialised countries won first place for “coming to Copenhagen with a profound deficit of ambition”.

Looking into the future

The world is looking to the future. In Copenhagen, negotiators are trying to hammer out a climate agreement for 2012 onwards. At home, EU leaders are preparing their steps towards the 2020 renewable energy targets. As a weary 2009 fades into a bright young 2010, the next ten years are on everyone’s minds. But what happens then? Wind Directions takes a step forward in time to investigate the possible wind energy world of 2020 and beyond.

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