Copenhagen 2009: The lowdown

Copenhagen 2009

The United Nations Climate Change Conference is happening in Copenhagen today, so here's the lowdown on who you can expect to see around the table and what they are expecting to achieve.

Many world leaders are go into Copenhagen far from optimistic over their chances of reaching a comprehensive global deal on climate change. Even US President Barack Obama has said that he is doubtful of any significant decisions being reached, despite some of the most important figures in global politics, including China's Hu Jintao, insisting that this summit must be more than just a political statement.

One of the main obstacles in the way of progress is the lack of co-operation and understanding between the developed and developing world. Countries in Africa and much of Asia and South America are critical of the richer countries, accusing them of being responsible for the majority of the world's carbon emissions.

Parallels between Copenhagen and the Kyoto

Because of this, poorer countries hold the developed world responsible for much of the devastation caused by natural disasters supposedly created by climate change.

Many experts and analysts have already started drawing parallels between Copenhagen and the Kyoto Protocol, where many of the climate targets discussed never truly made the impact people had hoped.

Countries like the US, China and Brazil have all recently announced climate change targets. Both China and Brazil have vowed to cut their emissions by around 40 percent between the years of 2005 and 2020, but the US pledged a reduction of only 17-20 percent in the same period.

What can be achieved?

Much of the focus will fall on America and China, the world's biggest producers of carbon, but it remains to be seen whether either will be willing to compromise their own progress - both economically and in regards to energy - for the sake of the development of other nations.

Both are keen to be seen as wholly prepared to make sacrifices, but the kind of commitment the developing world is looking for is likely to be far beyond both China and the US are willing to go.

The accompanying infographic gives a breakdown of who will be attending the summit and what issues require the most urgent attention. But one can't help but feel there will be quite a difference between what can be achieved, and what will actually be achieved - again.

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