Need trumps will for Copenhagen

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Pessimism over the prospects of reaching a comprehensive climate deal at a conference in Copenhagen should not discourage a push for change, analysts say.

World leaders are preparing for a climate-change summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December to expand the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol.

U.N. officials describe the lack of progress in preliminary developments as endangering a comprehensive measure from Copenhagen. Artur Runge-Metzger, director of the climate policy division in the European Commission, told a delegation in Barcelona that Copenhagen developments were few, the Christian Science Monitor reports.

"There is a lot of work still to be done," he said.

EU officials praised a recent regional deal that outlines the way forward toward a climate-change regime, but hesitation from Washington and Beijing could undermine the overall effort.

U.S. officials said it is unlikely Washington would commit to Copenhagen unless lawmakers move on their own deal on Capitol Hill before December, which some say is unlikely.

Scott Barrett, a professor of energy economics at Columbia University in New York, tells the Monitor that despite the hesitation, the will should not undermine the need.

"It's a mistake to say Copenhagen is 'make or break,'" he says. "If it breaks, the problem is still there the next morning."