Copenhagen stats are getting confusing
TEXT OF STORY
Steve Chiotakis: If negotiators at the United Nation’s climate change summit reach an agreement on global warming, it’ll be a testament to their ability to digest a flood of statistics. There are so many figures floating around the conference, in fact, that some people are getting a little confused about it. As Stephen Beard reports from Copenhagen, it helps to have a head for numbers.
Campaigners: Three, two, one, and the first place winner is . . . Ukraine, again! Ukraine, what’s happening?
STEPHEN BEARD: This is a group of environmental campaigners. Each day, they award the title “Fossil of the Day” to the country with the least ambitious target for cutting their carbon emissions. Today, Ukraine has swept the board:
Campaigner: Ukraine’s target sounds good: A 20 percent reduction from 1990 levels. But what that actually means is a 75 percent increase from current levels.
Crowd: Booooo . . .
Confused? Spare a thought for the climate change negotiators. They’re haggling over a plan to cut emissions by 80 percent, while the Americans are offering 17 percent and China is pledging a 40 [percent] to 45 percent carbon intensity target.
Got it?
In Copenhagen, this is Stephen Beard for Marketplace.
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