With the climate change conference scheduled to run in just a few weeks, I thought I would write about my thoughts on the debates about to take place. I make my living as a Toronto realtor, but that doesn’t mean that global issues do not distress me. An area that holds my interest is the climate and its progression.

From the 7th - 18th December this year Denmark is hosting the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Attendees hope to reach crucial decisions, particularly around a new framework for climate change mitigation beyond the year 2012. The thoughts on climate change differ drastically so not everyone is looking at this from the same angle. With many contradictory views it will without doubt be a lively debate.

When Barack Obama became president, many advocates hoped for a new day in climate change mitigation. What public is wanting to find out is how can we move this problem forward. The Kyoto protocol was proclaimed as the way ahead at one time, but now even environmentalists are dissociating themselves from it.

While the protocol was determined in 1997 it is recognized that the need the agreements made need to be discussed again. By the year 2020 its is desired that GHG emissions will be decreased by 20% based on the 2005 rates. The Kyoto protocol called for a 5% decrease on the 1990 levels so the new rates are drastically higher. Many activists are up in arms about the lackadaisical attitude towards the minimization schedule and the loosening of conditions imposed by Kyoto.

There is another area of conflict that this concern is linked to. Countries in the South such as Brazil, South Africa and India who are understood to be big polluters are unlikely to be worried by any environmental action taken, while countries in the North could see a massive impact on their economy. These southern countries are more influenced by climate problems as a result they believe the northern countries owe them. Northern countries accept that developing countries may need to manufacture higher emissions to literally fuel their growth (although some activists see such aggressive ‘slash-and-burn’ development as a dead end route anyway), but with the economic crisis and China’s emergence as a world power, countries like India and Brazil are less prepared to make any sacrifices.

The movement for anti-climate change has another big concern in relation to the emissions trade. While advocates (mainly government officials) claim that bringing in market rules can offset the negative economic repercussions of emission restrictions, opponents see it as another chance for black market trade, cheating and scams. They stipulate there should be deep changes to economic and social structures (more power and control in hands of local communities), in order to stop climatic disaster.

The UN Climate change conference may agree some important decisions, but in my opinion they are unlikely to be anything miraculous. The agreements may not be new, but what is new, is now pressure groups are starting to mobilize across the whole world. This means that there are more and more voices shouting for change this year, and that can only be a good thing.