As of a few days ago there have been climate talks in Warsaw about readdressing the climate change issue.  The meetings primary concern at this point is reassuring damaged nations like the Philippines that their words will be heard and that there will something done about the devastating damage brought on by the recent typhoon.

  Nations damaged by the hurricane claim that since climate change is a widely accepted theory and that the increase in temperature is a product of greenhouse gas emissions which in time produce stronger storms, it is only fair that developed nations who have contributed most to greenhouse gas emissions take responsibility.  A large group of environmentalists walked out of the UN climate talks at Warsaw today in protest, stating that the meeting lacked ambition and the sense of urgency.

  A WWF spokesman addressing made a statement, “Warsaw, which should have been an important step in the just transition to a sustainable future, is on track to deliver virtually nothing. We feel that governments have given up on the process.”  Similar to the meetings in Kyoto in 1997, there are high expectations for these climate talks to accomplish a new, effective treaty that will limit all nations’ greenhouse gas emissions.

  Negotiations as of right now are in a deadlock between developed (rich) and developing (poor) nations, arguing over whether the countries most responsible for adverse weather due to massive amounts of emissions should compensate the countries damaged by the recent typhoon.  Developing nations who have paid the price for other countries’ irresponsibility in terms of emissions are aggravated. Many countries have not sent in meaningful leaders to Warsaw which a director of Greenpeace International, Kumi Naado said was “…a slap in the face to those suffering as a result of climate change.”

  The general consensus is that many nations are calling for an immediate action plan for all countries to follow, while many of the world’s most powerful nations are taking a backseat, becoming a lag in the Warsaw talks.  The climate talks in Warsaw will set the precedent for addressing unprecedented weather disasters, it is up to the diplomats of the world to set the bar in dealing with these crises.