News in Business

Failure or success at COP15 will require the private sector to help guide the economy onto a sustainable path. On December 12, the Copenhagen Climate Council and the UN Global Compact will bring together business leaders at Hamlet's Kronborg Castle to help kick-start the low-carbon revolution.

Actress Cate Blanchett and Copenhagen Climate Council Chairman Tim Flannery have launched an eleventh-hour appeal to global citizens to join them in pushing for the strongest possible outcome at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, which opens in less than two weeks.

Agreement at COP15 in December could create millions of new green jobs, unleash huge investments in new, low-carbon markets, and thereby spur economic growth, Jeff Immelt, CEO of GE, said at a press conference today in Copenhagen with Danish Minister for Climate and Energy Connie Hedegaard.*

After a frantic day of negotiations, world leaders agreed to the Copenhagen Accord on COP15's last day. While all admit it is inadequate to the task, the Accord is a significant first step in engaging the world's largest emitters in the global effort to slash carbon emissions.

On the penultimate day of the Copenhagen climate talks, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton boosted the chance for a deal considerably by offering a first: a US commitment to supply funds to a long-term financing plan for adaptation.

Today saw the first direct involvement in the talks by heads of state, a much needed boost after weary negotiators worked through the night to finalize their draft texts. Later in the day, word came of a pending political proposal from the Danish hosts, and a financing plan to reduce deforestation.

On the last full day before the kick-off of the high-level segment of this conference, Yvo de Boer and Connie Hedegaard forcefully made the case that negotiators had limited time to reconcile major issues if world leaders are to have an agreement to sign on Friday.

The second week of the Copenhagen climate talks began with Connie Hedegaard convening parties for informal talks. Much work remains, but heads of state begin arriving Tuesday night, including Prime Minister Gordon Brown, giving hope that outstanding issues can be resolved with political muscle.

In an exclusive video message delivered to delegates attending a COP15 meeting at Hamlet's Kronborg Castle just outside Copenhagen this evening, President Bill Clinton said:

On Friday, the chairs of the two negotiating tracks at COP15 released draft texts that will guide the last week of the talks. The texts leave big questions unanswered. But, with 115 world leaders to descend on Copenhagen on COP15's closing days, negotiators remain confident a deal can be struck.

Tomorrow at Hamlet's Kronborg Castle, Danish Crown Prince Frederik joins forward-thinking business leaders working to ensure that the answer to the question "To Be or Not to Be? New Leadership for a Sustainable Economy," becomes a resounding yes during final negotiations at the COP15 next week.

On Day 4 at the Bella Center, the suspension of the Conference of the Parties stalled work in the plenary hall, but UN climate chief Yvo de Boer said negotiators had reached "emerging agreement" on an architecture to deploy low-carbon technology to the developing world.

Day 3 at the Bella Center was marked by continued hand-wringing over the importance of the "Danish text." The day also saw the floating of a new long-term financing proposal and the arrival of the top US negotiator, Todd Stern.

While the leak of the so-called "Danish text" threatened to overwhelm the conference with a non-story, day two really revealed more detail about a COP15 prevailing narrative: It's all about the money.

As COP15 convenes today, Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen hosts a Special Opening Ceremony to showcase civil society input. The event was organized in collaboration with the Copenhagen Climate Council and Global Observatory.

The UN Climate Change Conference (COP15) opened today with speeches by Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and UNFCCC head Yvo de Boer. To keep you up to date on the latest news from the Bella Center, please return to this website each evening for news and analysis in my COP15 Daily Brief.

China's renewable energy strategy through 2050 envisions renewable energy making up one-third of its energy consumption by then, the China Daily said, as the upcoming Copenhagen conference on climate change highlights the world's dependence on fossil fuels.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will early next week, possibly as soon as Monday, officially declare carbon dioxide a public danger, a trigger that could mean regulation for emitters across the economy, according to several people close to the matter.

Man-made U.S. greenhouse gas emissions fell last year as record oil prices and a weak economy reduced demand for fossil fuels, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Thursday.

During crunch talks in Copenhagen next week, Mexico will propose to slash its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2050 so long as it receives international aid, officials said Tuesday.