Green Labor Journal - Working for a Substainable Future

Obama Brokers "Copenhagen Accord"

Labor leaders impact climate discussions on "just transition" to good green jobs

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Applying the principle that “politics is the art of the possible,” President Obama rescued the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, from collapse.  During around-the-clock negotiations, Obama and the U.S. delegation crafted a deal in face-to-face meetings with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

Following the U.S. and China, which represent nearly one-half of global carbon emissions, Brazil, India and 20 other nations agreed to significant emissions cuts that will be open to international review and to limit global temperature increases to no more than 2°C (3.6°F) above pre-industrial levels.

While not legally binding, the Copenhagen Accord was “recognized” by the 193 nations attending the Copenhagen Summit on December 7 – 18, 2009, creating a pathway toward a potentially legally binding agreement in Mexico City by the end of 2010.

Fig 1 - Rapid Changes in Artic Perennial Sea Ice Between 2004 and 2005 (White = Perennial Sea Ice)

Climate Deal Enhances Chances of U.S. Climate Bill
While the Accord falls far short of the U.N. Summit’s original goals, it gives Obama a limited ─ but notable ─ victory and significantly improves chances of passing climate change legislation currently before the U.S. Senate (see “Senate Debates Climate Bill,” Green Labor Journal, October 30, 2009).

The President is delivering on his campaign promise to reverse eight years of Bush Administration resistance to greenhouse gas reductions and to re-engage the international community on global warming issues.

In Denmark, Obama won unprecedented new concessions from big developing countries, including Brazil, China and India, who have now committed to reduce carbon emissions and to limit the destruction of rainforests which absorb carbon dioxide

This removes the fundamental objection of Republicans in Congress, who argue that the U.S. should not place carbon caps on domestic companies unless China and other big emitters do the same, because to do so would risk the loss of American manufacturing jobs to non-participating nations.

While there is still much to do before this interim Accord becomes a legally binding, international treaty, the progress made in Denmark has already generated new momentum on the climate change bill in the U.S. Senate.

John Kerry (D-Mass.), co-sponsor of the Senate bill which calls for 20% carbon reductions by 2020, said that the Obama-negotiated Copenhagen Accord has broken the international logjam and “sets the stage for a final deal and for the Senate passage this spring of major legislation at home.”

Mark Helmke, a top staffer to Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), characterized the Accord as a “home run” that “satisfied the Europeans, made China into a major world player, but made them accountable” and “elevated India, Brazil and South Africa to the world stage.”

Labor’s Climate Change Goals
Forty U.S. union leaders joined a 400-member global labor delegation, lead by the International Trade Union Conference (ITUC), to participate in the climate change talks in Copenhagen.

Prior to the U.N. Conference, the U.S. Blue Green Alliance and its labor-environmental partner organizations issued a “Policy Statement on Copenhagen” in December 2009“It is vitally important that, during these difficult times, we secure an international agreement that not only confronts our environmental energy challenges, but one that achieves the objective of creating millions of good, green jobs across the world,” said David Foster, Executive Director of the Blue Green Alliance.

Acknowledging global warming and unsustainable energy dependence as “the foremost environmental issues of our time,” the Statement sets a national goal of reducing “U.S. emissions by at least 80 percent by 2050, with meaningful reductions by 2020.”

In addition, the Statement outlines policy positions on global science-driven targets, on international competitiveness and trade, and on investment in five key pillars of a global agreement, which address the following goals:
•   Deployment of clean energy and energy-efficient technologies,
•   A just transition to good, sustainable jobs and livelihoods,
•   International adaptation assistance to those immediately impacted by global warming,
•   Reduction of tropical deforestation emissions, and
•   Transparency, verification and accountability of all commitments.

Unions Make Notable Progress
According to Roger Toussaint, international vice president of the Transport Workers Union, “the global labor movement leaves Copenhagen having made remarkable progress in advancing our concerns and influencing the climate crisis discussions.  For one, labor’s participation in climate negotiations is unprecedented. The 40 U.S. union leaders and other representatives came from such unions as TWU, ATU, AFT, CWA, Utility Workers, Mine Workers and Boilermakers.”

“This level of participation also clearly signals U.S. labor’s recognition of the importance of the climate crisis on its membership….The emergency is at our doorstep, and it has become an issue that we, as a movement, can no longer afford to ignore…”

Copenhagen did not produce the highly anticipated, post-Kyoto climate change treaty. Initial expectations included a signed, legally binding treaty with hard emission reduction targets and timetables, and verifiable commitments from developed and developing nations alike.

However, rather than evaluating the success or failure of the Copenhagen talks by these objectives, labor leaders are pointing to the notable progress made on the key issues of a just transition, international competitiveness, investment assistance and tropical deforestation.

First, there is no doubt that the strong labor presence resulted in the successful introduction of “just transition’ language into the preamble of the draft treaty to insure a “just transition of the workforce that creates decent work and quality jobs.”

Second, responding to labor’s concerns, the United States delegation overcame efforts by China and India to ban the imposition of border tariffs on their export of energy-intensive goods ─ a tool that many see as critical to protecting U.S. competitiveness and jobs under any climate change treaty.

Third, the Accord promises $30 billion of aid for developing nations over the next three years and sets a target of $100 billion a year by 2020 to help poorer nations cope with the impacts of climate change.  

Finally, negotiators completed a sweeping side agreement that compensates nations for preserving forests and other natural landscapes that play a critical role in adsorbing carbon and limiting climate change.  This program, called Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, or REDD, may be the most significant immediate accomplishment of the climate change talks.

American Leadership on Clean Energy
While health care legislation is still the top priority on Capitol Hill, President Obama emerged from Copenhagen visibly pleased with the limited progress achieved there.

“Even through we have a long way to go, there is no question that we’ve accomplished a great deal over the last few days,” Obama said.  “I want America to continue to lead on this journey, because if America leads in developing clean energy, we will lead in growing our economy and putting our people back to work, and leaving a stronger and more secure country to our children.”   

Jerry Brown, Ph.D., is senior editor of the Green Labor Journal and Founding Professor of Global and Sociocultural Studies at Florida International University in Miami. Figure 1 graphic from James A. Cusumano, Ph.D., “Part II, Climate Change & Global Sustainability,” Prague Leaders Magazine, March, 2008, www.leadersmagazine.cz.