Copenhagen at work

Copenhagen is as tranquil a European capital city as you’re likely to find. The preferred mode of transport is bicycle; contented tourists shuffle around the colourful old harbour. But after many months of having its name overused to the point of erosion in global rhetoric, the city will soon be engulfed by the world’s leaders, decision-makers, political groupies and journalists, all attempting to answer one question: can we find a way to stop climate change?

Originally, it was hoped that the 15th Annual UN Climate Change Conference would produce a deal for cutting greenhouse gas emissions to replace the Kyoto Protocol. A legally binding agreement this month is now thought unlikely, yet Copenhagen remains a critical staging post in the global response to climate change. As Ed Miliband, energy and climate change secretary, wrote in June: “December 2009 is a make-or-break moment for the future of our planet.”