Global conferences always seem to take on a life of their own, however carefully choreographed. The Copenhagen Climate Conference is no exception. COP15 is certainly a big party by anybody’s standards – 15,000 delegates, 5,000 journalists, 100,000 activists – or protesters - and parking for 140 delegations’ jets with appropriate security at airports around Denmark. There is no room for them all at Copenhagen International Airport.

It’s a big, worthy conference preaching doom and gloom and saving the planet – or not – and, like any good religious revivalist meeting, there are the fanatics, the converts, the sceptics and the heretics – but we need them all to give the conference life and stop us sleeping through the presentations and discussions.

What’s it all about?
Barak Obama will participate in the final part of COP15 together with about 192 other government leaders all seeking photo opportunities. The final number is still unknown, but the more the merrier. Hopefully they will not come to Copenhagen to fail.

At the mid point, the noises are positive for a legally binding global agreement but there is still plenty of time for disappointment. A positive outcome would be everybody agreeing to an agreement, but signing it in a few months when the lawyers have finalised it – provided it does not get too watered down.

The Danish prime minister is worried that if it fails it could be labeled ‘Floppenhagen’ – and that would be bad for trade.

The 192 world leaders’ objective was to create a legally binding agreement to follow the Kyoto protocol accepted by 190 countries in 1997 to supplement the UN Climate Convention. At Kyoto, industrialised countries promised to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases by 5.2% in the period 2008-2012 versus 1990 levels BUT neither the developing countries nor the USA were bound by it.   

The biggest challenge will be managing expectations.

Carbon Neutral – But Cost Neutral?
While transporting delegates to the conference will generate 40,000 tonnes of CO2, the Bella Centre, where the conference is taking place, will drop energy consumption by 20% - local rumours suggest this will be from recycling the hot air generated.  

Special electric bicycles are being offered to delegates – I was nearly killed by one yesterday - and public transport to and from the conference is free. However, there is also a fleet of 127 ‘environmentally friendly limousines’ for the more important delegates and less environmentally friendly armoured ‘Blue Motion’ vehicles for the most important.